


Nothing but words

by Sandentwins



Series: Knight of Fire Breath [7]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Dragons, Gen, Humanstuck, Self-Insert, Self-aware characters, Shattering and Destroying the Fourth Wall, That thing you do when you build a fandom fiction over an OC story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-13
Updated: 2016-04-13
Packaged: 2018-06-01 17:23:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6529186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sandentwins/pseuds/Sandentwins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The dragon world is in danger. A foreign darkness has started to swallow it, threatening countless lives in its rampage. Two brothers lost in space and time will have to save it.<br/>In their quest, our heroes will face an enemy like never before. A dreadful creature who can definitely erase them from existence.<br/>The writer of this fanfiction.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nothing but words

**Author's Note:**

> This will by my last Homestuck fanfiction. Ever. I felt it was appropriate to post it today.  
> This fic is a direct continuation of [Like Angels of a Feather](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1779610), and as such is spoiler-heavy. Better read it first (or shortly afterwards), it talks about angels and gangfights and difficult family times. This also applies to [Our last chance to ever shine](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1459687), which is a Dragon AU fic, although this one is not necessary.  
> 

Leaning over the broken engine of this rusty car, my hands soiled with grease and motor oil, I was trying to find what was going on with those wires. Mr Captor had blamed a problem with the battery or something like that, but again, I wondered why he couldn't simply fix it himself. At least this guy got somewhere with his life.  
Behind me, the Zahhak elder was polishing the car's body, although he was rather demolishing it even more than cleaning it. Poor dude. Why did he agree to hire me, again? But hey, not like if I was complaining. At least my miserable salary, when joined with Dad's, was enough to pay the bills.

“Stop being so distracted, at once!”, he said with his angry, low voice. “You have duties to focus on, Kankri.”

“Yeah...sorry, boss.”

I grabbed my crank and proceeded to remove the battery from the whole clockwork that was this crappy car. Seriously? A standard groundbent model in 2046, the era of backpack cars? They had to be kidding me. And of course, I didn't listen to anything in class, where they would still have to teach us how to deal with such prehistoric things! Talk about a job. Good thing for some, Zahhak was the only classical mechanic for miles around.  
And he was paying fairly well, comparing to what I had been earning at Pyrope's court. Taking notes at the attorney had really been a pain, and half of it got missed by my drugged-out thinkpan. I also have tried selling drinks at Maryam's Café, but patrons would complain about how rude I was to them even though I never did anything wrong. But hey, who would dare to give a decent job to the former leader of the Red Bloods, one of the two most powerful factions of Altownia? Even Makara had managed to get his life together, working with his brother in their bakery. But now that my gang had ceased to exist, I had been cursed with a life of dishonor, disrespect and poverty.  
And of course, I now had a secret I never had to tell anyone.  
The phone rang in the office room. As Zahhak went to answer, I grabbed my phone and checked my messages, hoping to have some news about a possible rebirth of our movement. But only invitations to lame parties and e-mails from the bank or the library showed up. Sighing, I locked it out of spite...and had a look at my lock screen.  
Two boys, cuddling sideways, one having his arm reaching out to the phone in a selfie. They weren't smiling, but had a mournful, grim serious expression. Both of them had bright, colorful wings getting out of their backs, in plain sight and without any fake effect. A picture that, even years after the tragedy, brought up so many questions.  
Dad didn't get my explanation until a very long time. Yet, he was still mourning today, crying the loss of his youngest son. I missed Karkat a lot as well, and even at current times. But I know he always had something else to do than hanging out with an old freak like me. Everyone I had ever known had always used this excuse to get away from me. At one time I had been feared, respected, powerful...but now all that was left from this life was a red feather. I had framed it and hanged it in my room, as it was the last memory I had of my dear brother. And about Korazu, or whatever his name used to be...well, he had been a nice guy. With him I did live many great things, and he had taught me a lot.  
I learned with time and some research that Kanira Vantas, the real identity of Korazu, was my great-granduncle from Dad's side, or something along these lines. Considering all the freaks of my family usually came from Mom's side, that sort of balanced the genetic freakness in my powerless blood. I have often thought about doing a recollection of all the crazy stories that had happened to my long-deceased relatives, but that would have taken too much time. Or pages and pages of badly-written fanfiction.  
Speaking of which, Zahhak came back from the office, and told me to come over. On the moment, I feared he wanted to call me out on something wrong I did. Maybe I did replace the wrenches wrong last day? The guy always has this thing for cleaning up neatly.

“Say, Kankri...”, he started. “You know, I may be a little harsh with you, these days. So...maybe I thought you could take the rest of the day off.”

This startled me. Having a day off, given from the old man Zahhak? There had to be some drugs in the vents. Always so tight on schedules and timetables, he had never allowed me a slight late second or paid a cent above the strict wage.

“Your father needs you. Plus, I can close by myself tonight.”

“...Yes...thank you, sir.”

Confused, I didn't find anything much to say, so I grabbed my stuff, stored my coveralls in the locker, and went out of the garage without a word, still surprised.  
What was going on, I wondered.

\---

Today was a warm autumn weather. There were few clouds above the sunset-colored trees, whose leaves were dancing in the wind. Few people, as it was still working time. The streets were peaceful, although some walls were still covered in the fresh graffiti marking a clan's territory. Carefully avoiding the remains of the Sea Dwellers' land, I walked back home, having nowhere else to go and few spare change to spend anywhere.  
I had to admit, this life was kinda pleasant despite the now-everlasting lack of thrill that I have sought so much in my youth. Well, I still was technically young, although I had undergone my thirty-second birthday not so long ago. I was still living with Dad, as losing his last son would have been too much for him, and as it was easier to financially support. But seeing all of my Red Bloods' old pals being successful in life, or at least independent and at ease, was hard to carry sometimes.  
I sat down on a crate, and pushed my sweaty hair strands backwards. My legs were aching, side effect of working under cars all day long. I held my vest closer to my shivering body, wondering if we would have our heaters on at home. The wind was bringing in the clouds carrying typical autumn rain, that soon would turn into snow. It would be another harsh winter, I could feel it. Just seeing this alley made me remember the many nights Dad and I have spent in the streets or in a shelter for homeless, although that one back alley here was still better. I used to come here often, even after the dissolution of the Red Bloods. It had always been special to me. The lights here were somewhat dull, those old flickering streetlights needing some repairing...but as I walked there, I could see the memorial very neatly.  
A portrait of my deceased brother Karkat, drawn in red and black spray paint, designed by myself. He had his hands in his pockets, his jacket and hair floating in the wind and his green eyes looking to the sky. I have tried to represent the “little something” on his face as faithfully as I could, but I only ended up giving him a rather sad expression despite his little grin. All that could now indicate his new nature was the pair of large red and gray seagull wings coming from his back, wrapped around him as to shield him.  
He was purely fascinating. I have tried to learn as much as I could about angels, ghosts of the past and Seers, those who had the power to see the deceased ones, like my mother. But humans didn't know much about this domain, or weren't allowed to say it. There were times where I regretted him, indeed. I would have wanted him to show me what it was like, being an angel...or simply to know him a little more. But what was I to change anything to the fact he was an angel and I wasn't? Angels were part of my life. The man I had always thought was my brother was a complete stranger, and my only real sibling had become one of them. Knowing that we were watched by angels and other bizarre creatures, including fairies, was way too weird for me. At first the trolls (who had, indeed, existed), then the animal sorcerer demons, then the ghosts of our lost ones and now angels. What would it be, next? Dragons?  
I grinned at the thought.  
Some candy wrapping papers flew in my direction, pushed by a sudden breeze. That reminded me I was hungry, and that I should head home as soon as I could. Standing up, keeping my pace, I hoped there would be something else than pasta to eat tonight. Some ham would be fine, for once, if Dad had got paid. The guys at the old iron factory were kinda tight on that point, but considering my dad had worked here for years even before the “angel incident”, there's no way he couldn't-  
A bunch of tree leaves and paper scraps suddenly flew into my face, stopping my thoughts. I brushed them off, pestering against that stupid wind. How come the elements were always standing against me? That was totally unfair. I was honest, now, so why did they keep bothering me?  
But that's only when I tried to untangle my hair that I saw the tiny, long feather slowly falling from the sky. It landed near my foot, shining in the dim lights. I picked it up, and recognized it. My breath stopping, I carefully rose my head to see where it fell from.

“Salut, frangin!”, Karkat said cheerfully.

He smirked, perched on the streetlamp like a weird winged frog. His smile was like a lightpole in the dark night, something I had been waiting years for.

“You should totally see yourself right now. Wish I had a camera!”

Without any other word, he let go of the metal pole, opened his wings, and let himself slowly fall to the ground.  
He had barely changed during this decade. The same goofy smile, the same quirky pace, the exact same dirty clothes and bullet wound in the ribs, now forming a distinct red mark, as I have last seen him. And, of course, the “little something” that I still couldn't describe about angels.

“It's been a while, isn't it?”, he said.

I nodded, silently, before opening my arms to him. He returned my gesture, and I found myself in a sweet embrace of arms and wings.

“I had wanted to see you for so long, you know.”

“Then why didn't you come sooner?”, I asked. “Was something...holding you?”

“Not really. But John had to stay with his close friend, and I wanted to stay with him...so yeah.”

“You could have at least tried to come and say hello. Dad is still mourning, you know.”

“I know...désolé.”

I forgave him. I was glad...so glad to see him after all these years.  
He walked by my side quietly, not saying a word for some time. After all, what was to be said? Hey there Kankri, it's I, your angel brother who got killed like ten years ago and now that your life's a wreck I finally found time to come by and say hi? That was stupid.  
But still...having him next to me was making me feel good. I knew it was part because of his weird convincing powers, but I still liked to be with him. Time had brought us quite closer, even if it was just an illusion I had.

“So...you speak French now?”, I asked after a minute of walking.

“A little. John had taught me, and I sometimes surprise myself to have fluent conversations with him.”

“That explains your bad mouth.”

He giggled. Even his laugh was adorable, now that he was a feathery-back with such cuteness in his whole being. His way to walk, to speak, to sometimes hum some foreign tune, all of these were angelic. Literally.

“But I came here for a reason, Kan.”

This surprised me. Karkat suddenly switched directions, and fluttered towards the lower town, at the opposite direction of my home. Curious, I followed him.

“And...what for, may I ask?”

“For the last step of the Closing, of course!”

He quickened his wing pace, and I had to run to keep up with him, trying both to process what he was talking about and thinking about how Dad would worry if I showed up late. But then I realized I had left work earlier than usual, so I could take a few minutes to wander around the city with the soul of my bro.

“You were the one to call Zahhak and convince him to let me go, right?”

“En effet.”

I tried to catch him as he was flying some feet high, but all I got to grip was the evening wind.

“What's that closing you were talking about, already?”, I asked.

“Didn't you listen in History class? Tonight is the Closing of the Portals!”

\---

The footsteps of my servants echoed right behind mine as I entered the audience room. It was desert at the moment, but three of my fastest coursiers were already here, their faces frozen in anguish and doubt. As I sat on the throne, I gestured them to talk at once.

“Report.”, I simply said.

“Sir, we have returned from the Loqam quartz mines. The situation is clear: they are disappearing.”

“That's troublesome...”, I replied. “And what about the north of Loraf river? Any news?”

“Our secondary exploration team had just reported in. It is disappearing too.”

“There is nothing we could have done, your highness. It was...as if it was collapsing on itself.”

“The southern Wave Swirlers have reported something similar. Entire patches of sea are blacked out. Everything it touches disappears as well.”

“If this keeps going on, the coast villages will be swallowed by this void. In no time, it will reach Prospit and Derse.”

“Similar phenomena had happened in the Black Zone. Cherubs are affected as well.”

I buried my face in my palms as I tried to take in all of this new information. My land was being destroyed by something unknown, something terrible. If this kept on, then my people would suffer and disappear as well. But I wouldn't let that happen.  
I had to do something. Everyone here was counting on me, and I had to help them. I had to save them. I could not let them down.

“I have found it.”, my wife suddenly said as she entered the room.

Everyone bowed to their queen, who had a book in her hands. She showed it to me.

“The world you have seen in your dreams. It exists, our sorcerers have told so. It's there, somewhere between dimensions!”

I flipped the pages, reading everything I could about the promised land. There was magic there, magic of a powerful kind.

“The gods will save us.”, I said with hope. “We have found our escape way.”

I stood up, and looked at the bowing explorer team.

“Prepare everything you need. Alert the people. We will get out of there.”

“But what will happen of this world, your majesty?”, one of them asked.

I tried not to think about it too much. Most likely doomed to be swallowed by the foreign darkness, it was lost for good.

“Be prepared to leave it for good. We have found a new world, which can host both species. All we have to do is take care of its current...denizens.”

The Queen looked at me as the explorers went out. Her pink eyes were expressing worry, if not fear.

“Will that really work, my dear?”, she asked. “What if we cannot bring our people to this world? What if...”

“Don't worry, sweetheart. I have made a promise and I will keep it. I will bring all of you to safety.”

I kissed her forehead tenderly.

“Try not to think about the bad sides. This new world has plenty of room for us. It has resources and a technology far greater than ours. We will quickly adapt.”

She held my hands in hers.

“Is this the only way?”, she asked.

I stayed quiet for a moment, my eyes still looking at the book. I needed to do this. People had great expectations from me, and I couldn't let them down. I needed to set the events in motion.  
I needed to do this.

“Yes.”, I answered. “This is our only chance to survive.”

\---

After some minutes, we reached the borderline of Altownia, where the park garden was. Karkat landed in the middle of a grass patch covered in fallen leaves, and clapped his hands. The broken streetlamps suddenly lit themselves up, revealing a corner of the park I've never seen before. Karkat sat on a bench, and had a look at his wristwatch (curiously still working).

“We're not late. That's fine.”

I sat next to him, and had a look around. The trees were kinda old, covered in orange and golden masses of leaves, the old-style wooden bench was covered in white drawings of initials and hearts, and there was a scent in the air that reminded me of something. The moonlight, although covered by some clouds, was revealing a weird monolith in the center of a flower patch. Although I've heard about it, it was my first time actually seeing it.

“It used to be a portal between this world and another one.”, said Karkat. “But now, it's going to open for the very last time, blocking the last path in this county.”

“Another world?”

“Yep. Ever heard of Alternia? That's the place.”

Alternia. This name had shown up several times during my genealogical research, as some of my ancestors had indeed been trolls.  
My great-grandmother from Mom's side was a troll herself: her name was Joanna Slick, and she had crossed the portal several times until she had settled down with a former bandit. Some time later, she had given birth to my grandfather, Karkat Vantas. He became a solitary and romantic poet, who had attended Skaiacademy long before I did. And who had the same name as half of my relatives, for some reason I never understood.

“I think...Mom was often talking about Grandpa. She said something about how she could see him as a ghost, or something like that...”

“I remember.”, he nodded. “Grandpa and Grandma Natalia had met in this same park we are in today. Coincidences are crazy, dude.”

I shrugged.

“But that's our lot.”

“We even had Prospitian Ship members as a family.”

I turned to him, startled.

“P...Prospitian Ship? You mean this epic band from the 1970's? With the troll lead singer?”

“As I tell you. Remember this story about the singer and the guitarist's daughter, the young Cherry? She changed her name when she was fifteen as to avoid being associated with her parents' bad scandal...y'know, with Wind-thing and Blood-something. She had moved on all the way from Seattle to here. And that's for Grandma Natalia.”

“You're kidding me. That's some crazy plot you're inventing, as to shit everyone who'd ever hear our story and to make them believe these people are all linked together.”

“No I don't. I can show you the whole family tree if you want. I'm serious, it had truly happened.”

I grinned out of un-believeness.

“Can't be serious. Next, you'll tell me some of our ancestors were fairies.”

“One of our grand-uncles did become one.”

“Wait, what!?”

I laughed out loud, wondering what kind of crazy family ours was.

“Hey, I swear it's the truth!”

“Come on, Kar. Next you'll...I dunno...try to convince me there had been dragons in our family.”

“Dragons? I wouldn't go that far.”

I smiled triumphantly as to show I was right.

“But we may have had some legendary rebel figures among us. Ever heard of the Signless, or the Sufferer, and...let's guess, the Red Guidance?”

“You won't be shitting me anymore, Karkat Featherbrain Vantas!”

I tried to grab him, but he was too quick for me, and flew up giggling, leaving me looking like an idiot trying to catch a pigeon. I smiled, and climbed on the bench to get some height and attempted to get him down there, to no avail. I ended up face first in the grass, laughing with him like the two idiots we were, smiling like never.  
I felt his fluffy wing wrap around my body as he sat down next to me. To be honest, it was a really cool feeling, like a heated blanket or a soft bed with a cup of warm milk, or maybe all of the above. I carefully stroked one of the long, gray-tipped feathers, and he giggled.

“That tickles.”

He had a slight shiver, followed by his feathers rising, as if he had goosebumps. They went all hard and rather sharp under my hand, but returned to normal stance two seconds later.

“How's it like...”, I started, “...y'know...”

“Having wings?”

That wasn't what I wanted to ask for, but I nodded, not really wanting to ask him about his death.

“They're kinda heavy, it's true. And they are really tiring, as if I was running all the time. Even if I have a lighter bone structure, lifting off the ground is painful if I do it for too long.”

He pulled me closer, so close I noticed he was cold. Of course, he was dead...but having him alive and still somewhat fleshy was creepy.

“And don't get me started about molting.”

“Wait...you do?”

“Yep. And that's a real pain in the butt. No flight. Feathers everywhere, and I end up looking like roadkill. But when John does, that's worse. I mean, he can do it without looking like some ready-to-cook poultry. I'm so jelly of his owl wings.”

I used that occasion to change the subject. Better not remind ourselves about that harsh separation moment.

“And...you stay with the blue angel, now?”

“Yeah. We live together in the library. I...well…“convinced” the owner we were renting a room in the above apartments, as for angelic reasons, John has to stay there with his friend. But it's kinda nice...just the three of us. And free books.”

“So...you're lovers or something?”

He sighed.

“You know I'm not...interested in those things. I don't know what makes people so eager about love and stuff like this... I get that you can really like a person among all your friends, but I don't think I can be personally put into this situation.”

“I feel you, bro. Tinkie was also ace.”

“Wonder what they have become...it's been so long.”

I looked at the moon above us. It was now shining bright, most of the clouds being blown off by the wind. Its moonrays gained in intensity, drowning the whole park in a blueish light, as the streetlights started to fade out.

“It's starting!”, Karkat exclaimed happily. “Come on, quick!”

We stood up and rushed to the weird monolith. Now that I was seeing it closely, I noticed some weird engraved characters, like runes or magic writing. For a second, I wondered if Karkat could read these, but he quickly told me it was no worth asking him that.

“And...when will it start?”, I asked.

“Somewhere around...now. Look, there it comes!”

The moonbeams suddenly struck the monolith, revealing its soft and slick surface, which felt like metal at the touch. The runes seemed to be gleaming under the pure light coming from above, and for one second I thought I would have the ability to read them. If part of my ancestry was of a troll lineage, then maybe their knowledge of troll language would have passed through me?  
Everything was now possible, under this rock from another world. I stroked it, thinking it would draw a connection. A connection to who I could truly be.  
Suddenly, my hand slipped, and I fell head first towards the stone. Karkat held me back, saving me from a very bad shock, but I couldn't unsee it: my hand was going right through the stone.

“Whoah...”, I muttered.

I retracted it quickly, before carefully touching the monolith again. This time, no doubt: my fingers were passing through. I was feeling some wind on the other side, a cold wind that covered my arm in shivers.

“So...beyond this rock...”, I started.

“Lies the land of Alternia.”

I whistled of admiration. The land of secrets, of mysteries and of so many stories was there, right where my hand was.

“And...when will this thing close?”, I asked as an idea was forming into my head.

“I dunno. Most of the time, the portals stay open for like, ten or fifteen minutes in a row. Depends on the position of the Alternian moons, which is unknown to us.”

Fifteen minutes, huh? That would give me plenty of time for a quick peek.  
Breathing in, I dived head first into the stone.

“Kankri, what are you doing!?”

I didn't listen as I tried to make my way through the portal, only held back by the edge of my world's monolith. Which was getting slippery, damned smoothness. But I held on solid as I opened my eyes, once the wind had blown in my hair.  
Alternia was not at all like I pictured it. From what I had imagined or heard from Dad, it was supposed to be a desert, coarse place where cold and darkness would reign.  
But there, it was...lively. There were grass, and flowers, and weird-shaped trees, growing on the side of some large river. I breathed in. The air was cold, but only because snowclouds were coming this direction. Otherwise, it was...nice. Almost lovely.

“Kankri?”

I let go of the stone. The voice of my brother seemed so distant, yet so close. I felt his hand on mine as I kept walking, taking some steps in the grass, wondering where we could really be. He followed me through the portal, mouth opened in awe as we were progressing through this unknown and mysterious land.

“Do you think...this is Alternia? It doesn't seem like it.”

“Maybe...I don't know, maybe we have ended on a sunnier side of the planet?”

“That seems...unlikely. Look, the sun isn't red.”

I turned around, having a look at what this world's portal was like.

“What the...”

It was a tall, shiny new statue made of some silvery metal, representing four people with horns and wings. Trolls. Each was looking at one of the cardinal points, almost watching, like some guardians of sorts.  
There were a tall one with his face hidden in a patchy hood, one with long curled horns and wands in her hands, some weird person with pointy horns and a stare so intense I feared I would turn blind by a single glance, and a raggedy boy wearing glasses, with both hands on his heart. The support for these four figures was a block of marble about five feet high, which was still bathed in some sunrays that had pierced through the thick veil of clouds.

“Kankri...”

I turned to my brother, who was on a side of the statue, reading a copper plaque engraved in almost the same weird letters as on the monolith.

“This...this says we're next to a memorial built for the fallen dragons.”

“The...dragons!?”

I shook my head, completely stunned. These guys couldn't be dragons! I've maybe never seen dragons, but I was clever enough to know they were different from trolls! Although I didn't know whether trolls had wings or anything...but what?  
This alphabet was looking somewhat more like Latin letters than the one on the monolith. Karkat attempted to read out loud the words he could decipher.

“Suffirer, who freed his clan from slavery at the dawn of troll era.  
Demoness, the steed of the Lord of the Death to Come, a beast of terror and kindness.  
Pyralspite, the one who helped defeat the fleet of the Southern Pirates.  
Safire, whose rebellion gave a new strength to the Dragons.  
They all served both their kin and the Trolls', and as such will be honored.”

“That's some crazy shit you're talking. Dragons?”

“They said it; I didn't.”

This was completely unbelievable, and I was sure it was only some translation error. Or maybe dragons were kind of a troll worship? Those silver guys could as well be gods, or personified heroes or something. I didn't know very much about troll culture itself, but I was sure Dad did mention dragons at one point. Or was it vampires? I couldn't remember.

“We'd better go back.”, Karkat then said. “The portal might close at any second.”

I nodded, unsure about this whole thing. How much time did pass already? And what if time didn't flow the same way as on Earth? What if one minute here was a year back home? I started to flip out.

“We have to go back.”, I said. “We have to go back, quick!”

I turned around to reach the portal, but a sudden noise stopped me.  
It was powerful, like a gust of wind calling in behalf of a dangerous tornado. I don't know why I stopped, but the second I heard it, I felt…intimidated.  
I looked around. There was nothing. Only I, Karkat, the statue...and that noise, a sound that made me freeze in fear to the bone. A soft chaffing that somehow made me feel like I was...nothing. A prey. A worthless, insignificant mammal. A chunk of meat waiting to be eaten.

“Kankri, come on!”, Karkat called. “The portal's about to close!”

I tried to react, to escape. But I couldn't move at all. My brother had to drag me towards the statue, as the noise was coming closer and closer, still with this domineering feeling that made me want to cry of fear.

“Oh, come on!”

I heard Karkat's wings flap as he dragged me further away, as if he was running from something. The chaffing came closer to us as we were hiding behind a rock, feet away from the statue, and suddenly stopped. Instead were now footsteps.  
Karkat dared to peek from our hiding spot, casting an anxious glance at what or who just came here, and I heard him have a shocked gasp. Curious, I tried to see what was going on.  
Near the statue were now five human-like silhouettes, one being several feet ahead of the others. I couldn't really see from there, but the one in front seemed to have large protrusions coming from his back...wings. Could it be an angel? No, those were way too small.  
But that one...now that he was right in front of the statue, I could see his traits more clearly. His skin was gray, like that of a sick person. He had bright golden horns on his white hair, and his “wings” were ruby red. Judging by his fancy-ass clothing, he wasn't from the poor kind.  
The troll knelt in front of the statue, lowering his head, as if he was praying, while the other four looked around. Those guys had spear-like weapons, and some kind of leather armor. If we tried to get any close to the portal, we would for sure be killed before we could explain our situation.

“How are we gonna get back?”, I asked myself anxiously. “We can't have much more time left...”

“Right. We have to do something, else we might never make it in time.”

Karkat then stood up from behind the rock, hiding his wings with a magic trick. The guard-like trolls suddenly turned towards him, spears drawn, while the winged one rose his head in surprise.

“What are you doing?!”, I whispered angrily. “You're gonna get us killed!”

But Karkat didn't listen as he walked right to them, hands raised in a “don't shoot” position. The soldiers took several steps forwards, ready to attack, but Karkat didn't move at all.

“I'm not a threat.”, he said calmly.

The princey troll stood up, not doing anything but looking at my brother, who was right about to get turned into chicken brochettes as I watched with angst. But suddenly, the troll rose his arm, commanding the soldiers to stop, which they did.  
Karkat then took another step forward, and so did the white-haired troll. I looked at him going, slowly walking until he was right in front of the troll. I knew he was using whatever convincing powers he had, although I couldn't hear what they were saying. But then, he turned around to me, and gestured for me to come out of my hiding spot. I only did so with great apprehension, and the troll got interested in me. He came closer, his walking kind of intimidating.  
His eyes were red, just as his weird winglike protrusions, with golden retinas. I saw the way his fangs were poking out of his mouth, the way his horns had the shape of crab claws, the way he was looking at me not as a prey, but as something more. He was fascinated, I could feel it. I tried to stay still, trying not to move at all, but Karkat nodded his head to me, meaning I could stop being all stiff and uneasy.

“You could have told us you would be coming.”

The troll just spoke. His voice was kind of raspy, with a growl-like sound on the vowels, but he spoke the same language as me, although with some kind of strong accent.  
He then smiled, making his overbite kinda more obvious.

“We would have prepared something for you, respectable ambassadors. Afterall, we do not see humans everyday in those times.”

He then gestured to the soldiers.

“But let's not discuss such matters here. You must have journeyed a long way from Gaierta, you must be tired. Let me escort you to the castle, where we could properly talk.”

Two of the guards then walked to Karkat and I, and...turned into dragons? I rubbed my eyes, dreaming, but there was it: two dragons the size of a horse, one orange-scaled and one rust red, were standing in front of us, lowered like camels.  
They...wanted us to ride them? Oh hell no.

“Do not worry, sir.”, the fancy troll smiled. “I know riding dragons is not something you do often, but I can make sure my men will never let you fall. We can do that for you, noble visitors.”

Karkat felt at ease climbing on the back of the copper dragon, which apparently wasn't really used to it. It took me several times to manage getting a comfortable enough position in which all the spine thorns, wings and hard scales wouldn't stab my legs whenever I would breathe.  
The red troll then politely turned to one of the other guards, who transformed into a golden-colored dragon and let themselves be ridden, while the other seemed to scout around for other dangers. That's when I saw that the red guy hadn't got wings, but what seemed to be fins; he couldn't fly far off with these. The fourth guard gave a signal, transformed, and led the way. The three other dragons flapped their wings, and followed.  
I couldn't realize it at first, but there was no denying it: I was flying on the back of a fucking dragon! What the everloving fuck was going on in here?  
The portal was drawing further away with each second, and its moonlight becoming even weaker. That's when I realized we would probably never get back home in time…

“Please release your hands. Are you trying to choke me?”

The dragon I was on just spoke, startling me in a way I almost fell off. I slightly let go of my grip, releasing his neck, uneasy about the possibility of falling to death as we were flying. I tried not to look down, but did anyways. Beneath us was a city made of black bricks and dark wood, with elegant roads of purple stones. Something instinctively told me this was the town of Derse.  
The duality of Derse and Prospit was a recurring theme in my ancestry. Dad's previous incarnation lived on the Twin Islands, Prospitian Ship had long been in rivalry with another band named Dersite Vessel, the fact I had a Dersite ex-bandit and a Prospitian detective as great-grandfathers… It was almost as if whoever made that twisted story had an obsession with duality. Why did I start thinking of that, anyways? Who could be crazy enough to do this? I didn't want to talk about it right now.  
The dragons were flying downwards, and I understood in a flash that we would be landing very soon. Where were they taking us anyways? The dragon prince has talked to us as if we were some kind of VIPs, but what if they were going to eat us? This silly-looking overbite surely concealed the sharp teeth of a savage predator. They would turn me and my brother into roasted meat, I was sure of it!  
The dragons suddenly landed, and barely gave us time to climb off their backs before turning into trolls again. The white-haired troll gestured to us to follow him, surrounded by his guards, and I had a look at our surroundings.  
Where we were looked like a balcony large enough for a dozen dragons to land on. We were surrounded by high stone pillars leading into a large hallway, walls covered with intricate designs of pink and gold over the black stones. As we entered inside the castle, the air got suddenly warmer, as if several fireplaces had been lit at once. Pushing a sweaty lock of hair from my eyes, I looked at the paintings and tapestries on the wall, which for most represented portraits of trolls in rich clothing or dragons in noble and badass poses. Karkat stayed close to me; he apparently was as nervous as me. His weird convincing powers maybe would help us out of there if the situation got bad, but I doubted we could even try to escape. As our group progressed deeper into the castle, it soon reached what seemed to be the throne room; I could tell so by the large two seats next to the back wall, laced with gold and silver, and the large crowd of winged and land trolls gathered there.  
On one of the thrones was sitting a tall woman with a cascade of ebony hair, giving orders in a gentle but authoritarian voice. Her garments were richly ornamented, with so much metal and fabric I wondered how she could not be inconvenienced. I saw the fins on her cheeks, and they inspired in me a sentiment of fear and respect. In a second, I understood I better not mess with this girl, whoever she was, or I could be in very serious trouble. The white-troll walked to her, and kissed her hand with gentleman manners. The many contenders in the room bowed to him, some going on all fours.

“I have returned, my dear.”

“You usually take much more time to pay your respects.”, she said. “Did something happen?”

“Of course no, my lady. But we might have some guests with us today.”

He stepped aside, and the gaze of the queen met my brother and I. Her face switched to a surprised expression, and I heard some mutters in the crowd of contenders.

“Great Suffirer...could it be possible?”

She stood up, walking to us. Karkat bowed respectfully, and I quickly did the same. The queen delicately reached a hand to my face, as if she had never seen a human before. Her fingers were webbed, and her palms were free of any traces of manual work, although her gray skin was kind of coarse.

“We haven't seen any humans in sweeps… Were you sent from Gaierta? How are Roxy and Dirk doing?”

I didn't know what to say at all. What was Gaierta, and who were these people she was talking about? I would have wanted to bribe them, but my words couldn't form. Luckily, Karkat had my back.

“If your Majesty may excuse us, we have made a long travel, and we hadn't fully recovered. But allow me to present both of ourselves.”

He put on a weird, noble-like French accent, and manners worth of a court member.

“My name is Karkat Vantas of Prospit, son of Kyle Vantas of Prospit, count of Lowas and keeper of the Sacred Oak of Angels. This is my brother, Kankri Vantas of Altownia, marquis of the Sun Isles and chief of the Red Blood tribe. We hereby present you our respects and offer you peace.”

I didn't understand half of what he said or where were all of these places, but it seemed to work. The queen bowed to us, showing her back fins. They were bigger than her mate's, and of a vibrant fuchsia pink.

“My name is Fefire of the Peixes clan, daughter of Condenscia and Wave Swirler queen of Alternia. I welcome you in our land, and hope you have a pleasant time among our kin.”

Alternia. This land was Alternia, there was no doubt about it. But then why was it so different from what I knew? Where were all the desolate lands and the twin moons and eternal night? How could these trolls withstand sunlight, how could they turn into dragons, how could they be so different from what I knew?

“I forgot to introduce myself as well.”, the red troll said. “Pardon my manners, dear human friends.”

He bowed as well, in this flattering but annoying way.

“I am Kanira of the Vantas clan, Wave Swirler companion of queen Fefire, and I welcome you in our land. To be honest, I didn't expect to find you at the memorial, so I might have forgotten etiquette for a moment. But it would have been impolite to greet you without knowing your own rituals.”

The name struck me right in the chest. But...how was it possible? Was “Kanira” a name so common, even dragons could have it?

“You are free to stay in our castle for the time of your travel. We always treat our foreign allies with respect, rest be assured. We have some matters to attend to, but we will freely talk after dinner. Blatty, please lead our guests to their quarters.”

“Please follow us, gentlemen.”, a troll with blue eyes said.

Karkat told me to come on, and I had no choice. We have dug ourselves into this lie, and now we had to play the part. We followed the troll with curly horns, walking up the large staircases of the castle. I noticed she would cast slight glances at us from the corner of the eye, like a curious animal.  
The large bedroom we entered had no beds, but large piles of white animal pelts. As soon as the servant troll left, after having been assured we didn't need anything, Karkat let his wings free, fluttering them a little, and perched himself on one of the weird-shaped seats.

“Great.”, I said out of spite. “This is so great.”

“I know, right? What could we do? Those guys are dragons, they could kill us in no time if they think we're just animals to them. At least they think we're dignitaries or ambassadors of some kind, and we're both alive. That's good, isn't it?”

I sat on the furry nest, which was kind of comfortable.

“Why didn't you use your mind control thingy?”

“It is the Inspiration, not a mind control thing. I can't control people.”

“But how did you stop the red guy's guards from attacking us?”

“We're human. There are no humans in this world, but this guy had met some, and they have a protected status in the kingdom. At least that's what I got.”

He went to examine the medieval bedroom, as I curled between the pelts, thinking about how we could ever get back to Earth. I started thinking about the red troll, and how he felt so familiar to me.

“That guy. His name is Kanira Vantas. It can't be a coincidence.”

“He looked like our lost brother, too. Light hair, little smile, pale skin. His traits were almost the same.”

“But why? Why is our brother, or great-uncle or whatever, a dragon? Is this some kind of parallel universe?”

Karkat sat down, and combed his wings' feathers with a brush he had found in a wardrobe, making sure they were flat and neat. This casual scene reminded me of how my life had turned to the supernatural side so much, I could no longer return to anything normal.

“Maybe there are versions of us too.”, I said. “Maybe we exist as dragons in this universe.”

“Maybe.”

As I looked at the high ceiling, I thought about home. Life wasn't easy, as Dad and I had to overcome many hardships in order to survive, but we weren't in the streets anymore. We had many fights, but we could find ways to be happy. Work was often killing me a little more everyday, but it was worth it. It was a world where the few I had was, where my friends were. And as nice as this dragon universe looked at first sight, it could kill us without a doubt.

“I want to go home.”

Karkat put the brush down, his feathers less ruffled. Outside, night was going to set, although we couldn't see the sun from the window.

“I know how you feel.”

He opened the gilded frame, and took a peek at the large floral garden facing our room, some stories beneath us.

“I'm going to fly a little. Don't worry too much about home.”

He looked at me with a confident smile.

“We'll find a way to go back.”

I knew it was his inspirational powers, but I still wanted to return his grin. Karkat flapped his wings, then thrust forward, taking off in the darkening sky. I sighed, and pulled a large pelt over my body, trying to rest a little. But I couldn't stop thinking.  
The portal. Why did we end up in a dragon world, while this very same portal did always lead to the troll realm of Alternia? Was there something...something that allowed the portals to be tampered with? Maybe a same portal could lead to different dimensions? This was a possibility...but for now, the only destination I cared for was home.  
I started to doubt whether I'd ever go back.

\---

By the time I reached the memorial, stars have already started to lighten the sky. The night wasn't gray or reddish as I could have thought, but a dark shade of blue, just like on Earth. However, the twin moons were present, their light giving an odd color to the plains.  
I tried to cross the marble pedestal of the statues, to no avail. It was lit by the moons, but the portal was closed. I tried to push, to find another way to enter it, and failed.  
Looks like we would stay in this world for a while.  
I sighed, and stared at the four statues. They were draconic heroes, but their traits were somewhat familiar. From what I could see of the hooded guy, he looked a little like Dad. And the peasant boy at his side was very similar to John.  
I sat on the marble slab, and tried to think about it. Why did my friends, my family, and even myself seem to exist in several instances. Why were half of my ancestors named after me? Or was it the opposite?  
What if, by some twisted manipulation of fate, we all were the same person?  
I didn't know anything anymore. Most of what I knew came from what Dad had told me, from what I've found at the library, or from old photos and family stories passed from generations. People also knew things about my family, such as Prospitian Ship, or the crime-solving duo of Altownia, who were Dad's birth parents. I could easily find information about trolls in general. How they came to this world, how the Portals started to close, and how some chose to remain. Especially, how they were then killed.  
Karkat Vantas, the best problem sleuth of Altownia, had died in a fire along with his husband when my father was still a teen. The police had concluded it was an accident, but many knew it has been a hate crime. The whereabouts of Joanna Slick, my great-grandmother of troll ascendance, were still unknown as of today, but I could smell something fishy under it.  
As decades have progressed, society had become more and more tolerant of many things, such as mixed communities or gay marriage, but few had been open-minded to the point of accepting the trolls into their life. These gray-skinned and horned creatures were the scapegoat of every disaster in the world. Religious communities have tracked them down and lowkey executed them, politicians have used people's hate for their own purposes, parents from everywhere have poured their hatred onto their own children, passing on an archaic and toxic behavior of inter-species mistrust and anger. The few who actually wanted to help the trolls' cause had been silenced. Or at least, that was the case in the United States. The Twin Isles, and generally most of Europe hadn't this problem, for trolls were much more accepted than in my home country. I didn't know whether other continents had the whole troll polemics as well, but it would be safe to assume they did. Trolls could be present on every life-hosting corner of Earth.  
I gently stroked the metal leg of the John-like dragon, or Safire as he was seemingly called. I missed my friend, whom I left saying I would be back soon. I wondered how much time did pass back on Earth. What if one day in this draconic Alternia represented several Earth months? I thought about Dad, and how I hadn't seen him in years. He probably missed me too. What about the few friends I had back in the day? I wondered how they have reacted to my death. There hadn't been any body of mine left to bury, like every angel when they came to life...to after-death? To reborn-life? This was confusing, and I didn't have the heart to ask myself these questions.  
I wanted to understand. I needed to understand.  
As my gaze trailed to the green moon, I leaned against the metal statue, somewhat drowsy. I knew I should maybe fly back to Kanira's castle, but I was tired. In the span of a few hours, my whole world had collapsed on itself. Even though I wished it could get back to what it used to be, I lacked the willpower to try and do anything about it.  
The wind rose, chilling my sleepy body. I rose one of my seagull wings and wrapped it around me, feathers providing some warmth. I knew I should go back to where Kankri was, but nothing could stop me from taking a short nap. The rest could wait. Plus, if the portal were to re-open, I'd be there...right?  
My eyelids fluttered some more. I let myself gently lay on the marble slab, my wings tightening around my body. It was really cold out there, but I hadn't the strength to move. I was tired, really tired, and I could easily go for a sleep. Allowing my eyes to close, I breathed in the night air, and eased my mind.  
Darkness was quick to swallow me whole.

\---

As I sat at the large table, I wondered where Karkat could be. He had said he would be back before dinner, but about half an hour has passed and he was still outside. I had to join our host for dinner, hoping he would not ask too many questions.  
Several dragons and trolls were sitting at the long dinner table, which was covered in meals and drinks of many colors. There was a lot of meat, birds with their feathers still on, steamy vegetables of various shapes and sizes, all kinds of pastries and fruits, all served in finely engraved bronzeware. While some trolls (mostly those with fins on their cheeks) used cutlery and had aristocratic manners, most of the guests ate with their hands, even the prince himself. Although they were doing their best to keep up a clean face and a mannered attitude, they would still spill some sauce or talk with their mouths full. This was a quick and easy way to spot the dragons. I noticed how the Queen was trying her best to handle the fine silver tools, but failing due to her draconic lack of finger coordination, slightly looking around to see if anyone would mind her using her hands to grab food bits. I had to hold back a giggle, but this funny sight reassured me somewhat, for Karkat still wasn't back and his absence made me worry.  
I have been invited at their table, for I was an “honorary guest”. Their food being mostly meat, I could eat it just fine, as long as I didn't ask myself what kind of animal it was from. After many months of pasta and junk food diet, I gladly accepted to have my plate refilled twice. Dragons liked guests who enjoyed their food; adding that to my human kin and general way of speaking, the court members soon came to like me. Many were scared, for they have never seen a troll without horns or greyish hue, but they came to the conclusion that even though I was weird, I wasn't a danger. But some did like me.  
Prompted by many, I told elements of human culture, like cars or electricity, which seemed to mesmerize them. I had no Inspiration like Karkat, but I could get the dragons' attention, and they were much interested in what I had to say.  
This was a weird but satisfying feeling. I became so entranced in my own words that I didn't notice how half the diners were staring at me, listening to me. I felt flustered, embarrassed but satisfied, as I told them about what my country was like.

“It's close to the sea, so there are lots of boats that come and go every day...oh yeah, and there's also a very old library, with a tree that is protected by angels...”

“What's an angel?”, one of the courtiers asked.

“It's...like a human, but with wings and magic powers. They have this big hierarchy thing and they're ruled by powerful angel kings, who can create everything they want...”

“Are there dragons in your land?”

“Not really...but there are trolls! And...and fairies, too! Those are, like, very tiny trolls with insect wings and sparkle magic...”

I was happy to tell people about it. As if I was somewhat relieved to let go of my secret, of the weight of all magic and weird things that have happened in Altownia for the past century. I was in a world of dragons, where people believed I was an ambassador of some human subculture, and where I could tell my stories for people to believe them.  
I loved it.  
At the end of the meal, the prince stood up, followed by the others. They lowered their heads, as if they were praying, and stayed silent for some moments. I mimicked them, not sure if this was a ritual or something. After a minute, the Queen clapped her hands once, and they all rose their heads.

“Today has been a good day, my friends.”, Fefire spoke. “I now advise you all go to your duties and take some rest. We will now attend business with our human guests.”

I froze. “Attend business”? What did that imply? Did they really buy into the whole ambassador thing?  
As the diners left the room, Kanira led me to a private cabinet, where he told me to have a seat. I tried to wipe the sweat off my palms as I sat nervously, this feeling of being preyed on coming back already. I felt uneasy under their draconic stares. If Karkat wasn't back soon, I'd be in trouble...where was he anyway?

“I have been longing to ask, marquis.”, Kanira said as he sat. “What is the situation of Gaierta? Have the tribes been reformed? And what about-”

“Don't ask so much at once, dear.”, the Queen intervened. “You're making him nervous.”

Fuck. Did they smell my fear? And what could I answer? What were the tribes?  
I tried to keep a neutral face as I thought of something to say, without thinking about how the fate of this world's human nation could be at stake.

“The tribes...are doing pretty well, I'd say. They...they ain't reformed yet, but...they are about to.”

They seemed satisfied by my answer, but exchanged a glance.

“So...how are Dirk and Roxy doing, if I may inquire?”, Fefire asked.

Now who the fuck were these two? Kanira had already mentioned them earlier...or was it Fefire? I couldn't remember, but I was sure they got mentioned somewhere.

“I haven't talked to them recently.”, I bluntly said. “I...my brother and I have been quite busy lately...many duties to attend to...”

Kanira nodded slowly.

“And I guess those duties have to do with the king, right?”

“Erm...yeah! I mean, the king is a busy person, and...he needs lots of help...so that's why I'm here...heh...”

I tried to sound serious, but my nervousness got the upper hand as I tried to speak some decent answer to political questions I knew shit about. The prince simply nodded again, this time even more slowly.

“So...do these duties have, by any chance, anything to do with...the Basivysks?”

The what now!?

“Erm...yeah, yeah they do… The...Basivysks give us a lot of trouble...with...things...”

I was lost, so lost. I didn't know what to say anymore. But Kanira seemed to buy into my obvious lies, so I could consider myself saved for a moment.

“The Basivysks are attacking the human king, which is slowing down the reunification of the tribes. Interesting, don't you think so, my dear?”

“Indeed.”

Kanira glared at me with something weird in his eyes. Something that pushed me even deeper into my seat.

“Are you sure this is what is happening?”

I gulped in fear, trying to look away from those red eyes.

“I...yes...why?”

“Because humans do not have a king.”

My heart stopped. This is when I noticed how sharp Kanira's teeth were, how high his back crest was raised. He would attack me. Something told me so.

“Now, tell me, marquis, or whatever your title is.”

His face got closer. I could see his irises becoming thinner, like a cat's, as he stared at me like a predator.

“Who are you?”

My breathing was irregular, so slight I almost asphyxiated myself. A strong danger vibe was coming from him, but the Queen had as much, if not more, reasons to scare me. Her doubt had been replaced by something between incomprehension and anger, and in no doubt she would kill me.  
I wanted to disappear right now. Just like Karkat did tonight. Go someplace else and never come back, far from these maniacs.  
Kanira suddenly moved, and I pulled my arms over my head as a protective reflex, pushing even further into my chair in a pathetic attempt to escape or hide from them. I must have looked like a pathetic prey with no escape, only made to serve their appetites and become food for those superior beings…

“Is everything alright?”

I was made to be eaten. I was to be killed, to be disposed of, to serve as their food and lose every value I had as a person. I was useless, and needed to die the way I have lived: like a worthless rat.

“Kankri. Are you alright?”

I tried to breathe in, but my throat refused to move. I wanted to get away, to escape from this dreading feeling, but I couldn't.  
That's when I felt his gloved hands on my shoulders.

“I am not going to hurt you.”

I opened my eyes.

“Look. I know you're not from Gaierta, and that's alright. You're still a human, and humans are our friends.”

He took my face between his hands, and looked at me straight in the eyes, speaking calmly.

“I won't hurt you.”

I didn't believe him, and shook my head out of panic. I was terribly, deeply afraid.

“Dear.”, the Queen said. “He's not used to see dragons. He might be afraid of us.”

“But how come? I would never hurt anyone.”

If Karkat was here, he would have known what to do. He could have helped. But he had disappeared, leaving me all alone under the predator eyes of these monsters.  
I felt Kanira put a gentle hand on my cheek; it felt cold next to my hot skin. But it gave me back some composure.

“Calm down, would you? What would your brother think of you?”

He was right. I had to get a hold of myself. I had to trust them. I tried to ease my breathing, tried to calm myself down; it didn't fully worked, but at least I could think somewhat clearly.

“Please...help me.”, I muttered. “I...my brother and I got lost, and now we can't get home...please...”

“It's alright. We will help you.”, the Queen's gentle voice said.

I already felt a little better as I stood up, the prince helping me.

“After what humans have done for us, we can only help back. Your species has much potential, we can't let it wane. It would be such a waste, don't you think?”

It took me some effort, but I managed to smile.

\---

The surface I woke up on wasn't hard, unlike marble. That's how I first knew I was somewhere else.  
As I woke up, stretching my arms and wings, I saw I was in some kind of room painted in white. One wall was replaced by vertical bars, as if it was some kind of prison; peeking through, I saw other similar cells along a long corridor. At one end was a large, white door. There were indistinct silhouettes in some of the cells, although most of them were empty.

“So you're awake.”

I turned around, and saw I wasn't alone.

“Do not worry, you winged demon. My last wish is to harm you, although you do inspire in me a foreign fear.”

For one second, I thought I was back in the library. The man standing in front of me looked too familiar to be real.

“John?”, I asked. “Is that you?”

“I know you are referring to my grandson.”, the man said. “But I am afraid to announce that sadly, I am someone completely else, even though we share the same name.”

The antique outfit was similar, along with the dark hair and blue eyes; but something within this guy was definitely wrong. I thought he was my angel companion; but as I approached him carefully, I knew it couldn't be. This guy had a very cold and stern aura, which replaced the famous “little something” of angels. And of course, he lacked wings.  
That's when I recalled his face.

“Wait a sec. Are you, by any chance...John of Prospit?”

“King of the Twin Isles and Conqueror of the Four Lands, heir to James of Prospit and descendant of the Egbert dynasty, father of Rosellia of Prospit and hereby grandfather of your friend John de Lowas. Indeed, it is I.”

I have seen his cruel and stern face in history books, but didn't believe him until now. What was going on?

“B...but...how?”, I stuttered. “You're supposed to be dead! Are you a ghost?”

“Oh, how cursed would I have been! No, my child. I am something of a completely different nature.”

He walked towards me, taking some steps around me as he was examining my clothes, my wings, my face.

“Wouldn't your first name be Karkat, by any chance?”

“Yeah...how do you know?”

“I have been told you would arrive very soon.”

Some noise stirred up in the corridor. One of the cells got opened, and its resident got led out by two ghastly-looking guards. The person was a human woman with red hair and a scarred eye, who gave me bad chills.  
The guards were talking to her, and she had her head lowered. Something was wrong. That's when they led her towards the large door.

“What is happening?”, I asked John. “Don't tell me she's going to be executed!”

The King chuckled.

“Death would be preferable to what awaits her.”

As soon as the white door closed behind the redhead, some kind of colored light shined from underneath. I could hear voices, but no words. Behind me, John looked as if he had seen this happen again and again.  
One minute later, the door opened. Escorted by the guards, the woman had drastically changed. Her eye and clothes were roughly the same, but now, she was a troll. Grey skin, curved horns, eyes of unnatural color; I recognized it right away. She got led back into her cell, and one of the ethereal guards said something about “her turn coming up later”. The troll nodded, as if she had accepted what happened, and closed her cell door herself. After locking her up, the guards simply vanished.  
I could not believe what I had just seen.

“So...is this it?”, I asked. “Are we going to become trolls?”

“Some do become trolls. Others are disguised as humans. I have seen many kinds of creatures become others.”

I looked at him with interrogative eyes.

“What do you mean, 'disguised'?”

John sighed, and turned to me.

“I sometimes forget you angels are ideas in testing. You're empty shells.”

I didn't get a word of it. He walked to the cell bars, and showed me the distant figures in other cells.

“There are people here who were born to fulfill a role.”, he explained. “However, they weren't good enough for their task. The Maker had tried to make the best out of them, but it wasn't enough.”

“Who's the Maker?”, I asked.

“No one knows his name or face, but he is the one who had made us all. You and I, and everyone here.”

I have never heard of anything concerning a “maker”, even at Feathers Inc. Was it some kind of godlike concept? John didn't answer as he kept talking.

“These people all have different origins, different stories to tell, and different mindsets. They may not look like it, but they are great characters. They have many to live, for you see...they are completely _original_.”

The word seemed to have a connotation I didn't grasp. A despicable one.

“But they weren't good enough. Nobody wanted to hear out their story, no matter how hard they tried. So the Maker crafted some kind of disguise for them. A mask, to hide their true identities. Everyday, they are sent out to fulfill their role, hiding under the identity of an already existing character. That way they can be heard.”

“Why? Is there something wrong with them?”

“Yes. Something very dreadful: no one knows them. They are drops of water in an ocean of other characters made by many other Makers. So they wear the mask of someone created by a successful Maker, one who had already achieved the long-wanted title of Author. That way, my friends can tell their story, and attract people because of their fake identities. That way they can improve themselves from their experiences until they are ready.”

People forced to alter their identities as to be seen...I have never heard of something this dreadful.

“So...what am I doing here? Do I have to wear a mask too?”

“No, Karkat. Don't you see? You _are_ the mask. Karkat Vantas is not our Maker's creation. John Egbert is not our Maker's property. You're just a mask with no one underneath, sent into the world for the only purpose of gathering information. And you will be recycled.”

His face got angrier, so slowly I barely noticed it.

“There have been countless test masks to come out of these doors. Half of them got scrapped. Discarded. The other half have been recycled, their memory and experiences given to an original. And yet, those same originals have to wear masks, no matter how round their character is, because...because no one wants to hear from an original!”

I had not expected this sudden cry of pain, which made this stoic man break in rage tears.

“I am tired of hiding who I really am! I am not John Egbert and I have never been! It is but a mask I wear, so I can tell my story while still being liked! So I can be _someone_!”

He fully broke into tears, his voice resonating in the corridor.

“Don't you know how hard this is? How long do I have to wait until I can finally tell all the things I have to say!? What will it take for me to finally be allowed to _be myself!?_ ”

His voice had suddenly changed. For a second, it had sounded more feminine, and a little younger. John (?) tried to get a hold of himself, breathing in, tidying his hair up.

“I am not John Egbert of Prospit. I will show you.”

Something happened, in a way so quick I couldn't even describe it. John's body got surrounded in a faint blue light which masked his traits, getting brighter each second. And then, it got so strong I had to hide my eyes not to get blinded.  
When I opened them, John had disappeared. Where he had been standing was now a woman of the same regal allure and stance. Her clothing seemed to come from a completely different time period and country, and her eyes were a fiery purple. She couldn't be older than thirty, yet it felt as if she had already been a mother several times.  
It felt as if I was looking at the Moon herself.

“This. This is who I am.”, she said proudly. “Do you, by any chance, know my name?”

I searched my memory, but nothing came up. She definitely wasn't Queen Rosellia, didn't look like any fictional character I'd know, and I was pretty sure I'd never seen her in any political piece of news I had seen. I shook my head.

“Don't worry. I would have expected this reaction. After all, my story has never been written down. Nobody knows my name yet.”

“Which would be?”, I asked.

She peeked through the bars and looked nervously around the corridor, searching for guards.

“I have no right to say it. Our Maker forbids it, for our names don't matter. But I am known as Misane. This is all you need to know.”

I didn't get the concept of a European princess having a Japanese-sounding name, but I made no objections. After all, what kind of American name was Karkat?  
But was it even my name? I didn't know anymore.  
I was a test subject. An empty mask, made to live adventures for those who couldn't…

“Why...”, I suddenly asked. “Why would they bring me here? I'm not someone else...I mean...I'd know that!”

“The Maker thinks you're a troublemaker, Karkat. Don't you see? You have become _self-aware_.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean! You weren't allowed to break the fourth wall, but you did anyway! This is no good for you, especially if it is out of your character!”

Suddenly, I heard some weird wind noises. In the other cells, the characters looked anywhere between uneasy and outright scared. This was bad news.

“They're coming.”, Misane said. “They know about me.”

“What?”

She turned to me with haste.

“Pretend to be asleep. Don't try to help me. I know what will happen. You need to stay unnoticed, or else...”

“Else what? Tell me!”

Footsteps suddenly echoed through the corridor. Under Misane's worried gestures, I quickly did my best to look unconscious, while putting my head so I would have a good view of the scene through my half-closed eyelids.  
Two of the faceless ghost-like guards entered our cell, paying no attention to me and directly walking, or floating, towards Misane. They were transparent, like spirits, as if made of void and mist. When they spoke, their voice seemed like an echo from somewhere else.

“Queen Misane Lunaria, you have disrespected the Maker's order concerning uncalled removal of identity masks. Are you aware of this?”

Misane looked perfectly aware of this, even somewhat guilty, but said nothing as she nodded.

“Your current identity was to be collected after the obligatory epilogue period. But as it was past its validity date, you will not be punished. However, you will not receive the due development and traits for completing another fiction. Are you aware?”

“Yes, yes, I am perfectly aware of that.”, she answered with annoyance. “Get to the point.”

“You are to meet the Maker and receive a new identity. You will most likely be affected as Cabela Wavynn in the Zodiacstuck fiction to improve your character. Is that clear?”

“Yeah. Let's get it over with.”

She followed the guards out of the cells; but as she turned towards the end door, she looked at me, and smiled with complicity.

“You'll be out soon. Listen to them, and it'll be fine.”, she whispered.

As she disappeared behind the white door, I tried to hold on to this hope. I had to get out of there. I had to find my brother and return to Earth.  
If needed, I would be ready to fight the Maker.

\---

I tried not to strangle the dragon as I grabbed his neck, still quite afraid of heights. We have been flying for a while, but I was still afraid of falling. Next to me, Kanira was looking at the villages below, trying to catch sight of my brother's wings or bright clothes, while thinking about what I told him.

“So, if I get it right...”, he summarized, “angels are some sort of super-humans?”

“Yeah. They can fly.”

“And they have supernatural powers, haven't they?”

“I don't know if all angels do. But my brother has some sort of...convincing thing. The “inspiration”, it's called. I don't know what it does, but it sort of...gives you hope, and make you believe in yourself. It also makes small lies sound like truth.”

“This is something dangerous. If anyone were to get their hands on this power and use it with bad intentions, they could easily create a powerful army and lead people to their doom without a doubt.”

“I know what it's like.”

I still hadn't mentally recovered from the fight between the Red Bloods and the angelpathy-controlled Bluebloods. An army of over a hundred teenagers, manipulated by a fallen angel who had military experience and access to heavy weapons. If it weren't for more angel shenanigans, half of my crew wouldn't have survived, including myself.

“We have to find him. Where do you think he could have gone to?”, Kanira asked.

“I don't know.”

I looked around. This version of Alternia was filled with forests and villages and rivers and life, and was nothing like what I imagined. I couldn't find my brother in all of this colorful mess. Sighing, something that looked like despair stirring up my mind, I started giving up.

“This is pointless.”, I said. “He's nowhere to be seen, and this kingdom is huge. He could be anywhere.”

“Well, we'll have to keep searching. He can't be far, trust me.”

“You sure don't know angels.”, I smirked. “Or my brother.”

I started thinking about how I didn't know him that much myself. I never bothered learning to know him, even though we were siblings. I thought that my relationship with Korazu was filling my quota of brotherly interaction, but when I have looked back on it, it had been revealed how fake it all has been. Korazu wasn't my brother and he's never been; he had played with my mind, intruding himself into our family life, pretending to be my actual sibling, only to mess with my family. And even though his company has been enjoyable, it was all under the influence of his angelic powers. The power of illusion and lies, of disguise and alteration.  
Because of him, I couldn't trust anyone even now. And even though Kanira wanted only to help me, the way he reminded me of this fake brother was sort of creeping me out. I had no choice but to follow him if I wanted to find Karkat, but what if it was all wrong? What if this dragon was a fake as well? Who could I trust in this world?  
What if _I_ was a fake, too?

“We'd better keep going by foot.”, Kanira said out of the blue. “It will be easier to find your brother.”

The dragons dived down, forcing me to grab my steed's neck even tighter, and landed in some kind of clearing among the trees. I hastily climbed down, letting the dragon servant take back his troll form.  
I'd never be used to it.

“We could start by asking people from this village.”, I proposed, pointing at a small lot of houses from behind the trees. “Maybe they've seen him.”

“Stay lose to me, Kankri. You'll never know when something bad happens.”

The dragon guards readied their claws as they walked at our side, protecting their prince. Kanira made me walk at his side, faintly protecting me with his arm.  
I didn't understand something. Why would he even help me? He had nothing to do with me, and I doubted he would go as far as investigating in his own kingdom for the sole reason of sheer kindness. Even human-dragon politics weren't a good enough reason as of why he'd help me finding Karkat.  
As we approached the troll village, I couldn't stop asking myself questions. He had talked earlier about a “dangerous power” and bad intentions...but what about _his_ intentions? Were they as unclouded as he'd pretend? What if Kanira was interested in my brother's power? I didn't want to sound paranoid, but there was something about all of this that made it hard for me to believe. This story sure wouldn't end well.

“Say...”, I asked him. “If we do find him, how will we go back to our world? Do you have...any idea?”

“I don't know yet. But we will find a way to get you home.”

His voice was kind, almost soothing. In any other case, it would have quelled my doubts and reassured me. But I knew better.

“Do you know anything about portals? Has something like this ever happened before?”

“Not from what I know. I have only been prince for a couple sweeps. I don't know about my kingdom's past history.”

He chuckled.

“Can you imagine? Sweeps earlier I didn't even know about the very existence of humans. And now...there is a world full of them.”

His voice took on a tone I didn't get.

“Humans everywhere. And they all have powers...great powers.”

Shivers ran down my spine as his protective hand gently clawed my shoulder, as if it was gripping it. Grabbing me, in a twisted and possessive way.

“It would be such a waste...don't you think?”

My heart suddenly got struck with fear. Genuine, crippling fear, as I realized that maybe, Karkat's disappearance wasn't an accident at all.  
I had to get away from him.

“Kankri, is everything alright?”, he suddenly asked, looking at me straight in the eyes. “You're all stiff and nervous.”

“I...”

Was it my imagination, or did the dragon guards get even closer?

“I just...I'm a little worried, that's all.”

“Is that so?”

They were definitely closer. Their claws have gotten from passive-defensive to outright menacing. I knew it.

“Well...how about you tell me what's on your mind?”, he continued.

“M...my mind?”

His pupils were now only thin black stripes. The feeling of inferiority and fear paralyzed my breathing once again.

“Yes. Humans have such...intricate minds. How they think and how they work directly affect their abilities. Can you believe it?”

“I...didn't know...”

Why weren't we already in the troll village? Why were there only thick-ass layers of trees around? Were we lost?  
Did he led me even deeper into the forest?  
Was he going to kill me??

“But humans, as powerful as they are...are imperfect. They lack something.”

“Lack…?”

“Indeed. They can't use their powers for naught. All they think about is going at war with each other until they die. What a waste of potential...”

He stepped in front of me, stopping our group.

“But you're nothing like that, are you? You have potential, Kankri. Even though you have no abilities whatsoever, you have something I would very much appreciate.”

I tried to step away from him, but the guards blocked my escape route. I was cornered in the middle of nowhere by three dragons, and nothing to get me out of this situation.

“Wh...what would that be?”, I asked shakily.

“You have-”

_what could he want_

“-knowledge.”

His face revealed a grin that I would willingly classify as “maniacal”.

“You know about the human world and how it works. You know about angels, those humans with groundbreaking abilities. And if what you said is true, although I still doubt it...there would be many creatures of similar potential in your world.”

“What do you want?”, I spat out.

“What I want?”

His aura became outright menacing. The air started to get really chilly around him, as if all the heat was sucked out.

“I simply desire-”

_no no that's out of character_

“-your world. Is it too much to ask?”

“What!? You...you'd want to take over my world?”

“Indeed. Humans are a powerful species, but they will be no match against dragons.”

“But why? Why would you want to do such a thing!?”

His hand violently grabbed my neck, choking me so hard I felt some blood draw. I tried to catch my breath, but his vise was way too strong.

~~“Listen here, old sport-”~~

_is that an anachronism i can't write that_

“Listen here, my friend. A prince doesn't have to answer for anything, especially not to a human. You're gonna do as I say and be quiet, or else I will make sure your brother pays for it.”

So this was it. Kanira was involved in Karkat's disappearance.  
_no he isn't damn how do i explain what even happened_  
And now, he wanted to conquer my world! As I thought of Dad and my friends living there, and how clueless they'd be once in front of the draconic invasion, I tried to fight back Kanira's grip.

“I...I won't let that happen! You'll never have my world!”

“How can you be so sure? This is something way out of your reach.”

“I'll stop you...”

He chuckled, and released me. I fell on my knees, rubbing my painful throat. On a snap of his fingers, Kanira's guards grabbed me by the arms.

“My people need this new world. Our own dimension has started to collapse, brought down by some unknown force. My subjects count on me to find a solution, and I just happened to find one. So what you think does not matter to me.”

He looked at me straight in the eyes.

“If you do as I say and help me conquer the human dimension, your life will be spared. Else, you'd better say goodbye to your dear brother.”

I tried to squirm my way out, to scream and call for help, but nothing happened.  
I don't know what happened next, but I passed out.  
_that was a poor ending need to fix it_

\---

As I strutted around in my cell, looking for a way to escape, I didn't expect the ghosts to come back for me.  
But they didn't care about my expectations, and came anyway.

“Karkat Vantas #9, you are to see the Maker immediately.”

I didn't understand anything anymore. I have done my best to look still unconscious, but two of these ghastly guards have come to me and told me to wake up at once. It was useless to hide: they could feel every living being in these walls, and my sleepy numero didn't work at all. I didn't know how much time had passed between then and now, but it had felt quite long. For all the time I have spent in this cell, I haven't felt any hunger, thirst or fatigue; it was as if I had stopped living altogether. Well, I was an angel, so that would have been logical; but it was something weird. Even though I was dead, I still needed to have a functioning heart; but in this weird world of prisoners and masked characters, it wasn't beating anymore.  
On top of all, I had a permanent dreadful feeling of void. As if I didn't actually exist.

“You are to follow us without opposing any resistance. Are you aware?”

'Do as they say', Misane had told me. I hated this, but right now there was no other option. And at least I'd be doing something.

“Yeah. Bring it on.”, I said, and the ghosts escorted me out.

As I walked across the corridor, I could see from close the faces of other prisoners. Worst part was, I recognized some of them.  
Among elves, robots, animal hybrids and humans, I could clearly see the faces of my old friends, of some of my family members and long relatives. The sight of the people I cared for, stuck in this place, rose a weird feeling within me. They didn't even looked at me as I walked past them, closer to the white door.  
One of the ghosts opened it for me, while the other pushed me in. I had no choice but to enter. What I saw there amazed me.  
The room was large, with another door on the side. Walls were covered in drawings, post-its, long written texts and schemes. A whole side of the room was dedicated to notebooks and folders of many colors, nicely arranged by size. In a corner, weird small shapes were piled up hastily, discarded 3D prints of animals, faces, body parts and tools, some being partially colored.  
In the center of the room was a large desk covered in notes and screens. With their back turned to me, someone was drawing on computer with a tablet, sketching various drafts only to erase them a second later. I couldn't see this person, but they sure weren't very tall.

“Honored Maker, the culprit has arrived.”, one of the ghastly guards said. “He is to be sentenced for fourth wall-breaking.”

The Maker didn't say anything for a good moment. But one second later, he saved his drawing with a keyboard shortcut, and put down his tablet pen.

“Fourth wall-breaking, huh.”, he said.

His voice was young, awkwardly feminine and somewhat muttering. With a gesture of the hand, the guards disappeared, leaving me alone with whoever was that person.  
The Maker picked a file in a folder on the desk, and read it out loud.

“Karkat Martin Vantas, born on June 12th 2018 from Kyle Matthew Vantas and Carmina Natalia Leijon, brother to Kankri Davis Vantas and unborn Korazu Vantas. Started as a neglected child, self-harming teen, bullied highschooler. Has an interest for drawing, keeps a collection of knives and blades, is intrigued by paranormal stuff and interested by his brother's gang life. Confused about his sexuality, but isn't interested in dating. Likes cherry jam, marine landscapes, the scent of pine needles. Dislikes hazelnut chocolate, loud car engines and crowded areas. Allergic to cats and pollen.”

All of that was true, to the point where having my life details exposed to a plain stranger was outright creepy. As he kept reading, I saw his seat starting to pivot.

“Earns most of his development through friendship, revelation of a hidden ability, renewal of contact with his family and discovery of shocking truths about his relatives. Ends dead from an accident involving a couple of archangels and a gang fight, but reborn as an angel. Has made his debuts in [Like Angels of a Feather](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1779610), which was the first attempt at putting together the rest of _Tales of Earth and Alternia_. Is also starring in the present fanfiction, which working title is _Knight of Fire Breath VII_ , and which is currently in progress. Recently unraveled the family tree of the Tales' bloodlines, to a point where he has started to think outside the box and realize the truth about his own identity.”

He snapped the folder shut, and looked at me straight in the eyes, grinning.

“So. Someone's been trying to escape the Matrix, heh?”

The Maker was nothing like a scary boss or a distorted ermite with supernatural powers. Ha was rather...plain. He had the appearance of a feminine young boy, with brown hair and eyes, with nothing particular, except maybe his nice shirt bearing a transgender pride flag.  
Was this guy really the one who had created all of this?

“Don't get ideas.”, he said, as if he had read my thoughts. “The Maker can't be seen by fictional characters such as us. What you're looking at is actually a _self-insert_.”

He chuckled, as if the word itself was something disgusting.

“Yeah, I know it sucks to have one...but if even the greatest Authors do, then we little Makers can, right? I'll speak in belief of the true Maker, the one on the other side of the screen, who is currently typing the very words I say, which the reader is mentally voicing right now.”

He stood up, put the folder down, and walked to me. He was quite small, actually. He summoned one of his ghost-like copies of himself, who started to take notes.

“Let's see what we have here.”, he muttered as he examined me. “Quite lanky, visibly malnourished and lacking sunlight.”

He took my wrist, and pulled my sleeve back, revealing my shameful scars.

“Self-harming traces. That's an interesting design.”

He pulled my shirt up to have a look at my chest, which made we jerk back.

“Bullet wound. Ribs showing.”, he dictated to his secretary.

Then, as if he suddenly had an idea, he turned to his double.

“You know what? This death scene is too cliché. I mean, he saves his brother by taking a bullet for him. That's unoriginal. How about I make Gabyl cast an attack in some kind of, like, completely random directions, in a desperate attempt to end Kanira for good?”

“Interesting”, the ghost replied.

“Oh wait. What if in her anger-filled confusion, she mistakes Karkat for Kankri as she tried to kill him? No, wait, that wouldn't work.”

He strutted around, paying no attention to me.

“I want Gabyl to kill him, but it has to be involuntary and indirect. Something about her whole 'collateral damage' thing.”

“Sir, Gabyl Peixes has no 'collateral damage' thing. She only talks about the possibility of killing civilians for the sake of duty.”

“Then give her one. Change her lines. Make her a consistent character.”

“Are you aware that _Like Angels of a Feather_ has been published months ago? No way we can change it now.”

“Dammit! Should have known. Well, store these ideas for later use.”

The ghost copy went to meddle with the many folders and notebooks, until the Maker turned around to me once more.

“So. About your punishment.”

He seemed to be thinking.

“You've become kind of self-aware lately. I can't let that pass through, not in a HS fanfiction. I'm trying to write my epilogue right there, so I can't permit such out-of-characterness. Realize what you're putting me through?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Of course, you're the main character.”, he said, completely ignoring me. “I can't scrap you now. I have to explain why you have disappeared and why and everything and all and stuff. But I'd need to rewrite several of your lines.”

I didn't say anything as he looked though more folders. This guy...was someone dangerous, I could feel it. He wanted to erase me from existence.

“Nah, that's not my goal.”, he distractedly said.

I shook my head out of surprise. How did he…?

“Dude. I'm writing all these words as you're thinking them. I know exactly what you're going to say long before you open your mouth. It's all part of the storyline.”

“W...writing? What do you mean?”

“Karkat, sweetheart. You only exist in a fictional world which can be manipulated at will. Ever heard of _Homestuck_? That's where you come from.”

Homestuck. Why did this word sound so familiar?

“Of course it sounds familiar! You were born in this webcomic. All I'm doing is using your name and likeness, like thousands of other Makers out there; that's nothing illegal. Welcome to the world of fanfiction.”

“Why are you doing this?”, I asked. “And who are all these people...using me?”

The Maker sighed, annoyed, as he sat down in his seat.

“Why I'm doing this? For the same reason why I can't become an Author. My original content is lame. Nobody likes originals. Unless I mask my amazing stories under the names of popular characters, no one will ever bother reading them. And now look at you! The mask of Karkat Vantas has been used over and over in my work, it started looking nothing like canon.”

He buried his face in his palms, rubbing his temples nervously, as if something was bothering him to the highest level.

“When was the last time the _real_ Karkat Vantas exhibited any sort of behavior like yours? I'm taking a huge risk doing this. I could be framed for out-of-characterness, and that's something I don't want to try. I have to adapt your characterization so it would look like something possible. Don't you know how hard this is?”

He pointed to a drawing on the wall, right next to me. Twelve colorful trolls. Among them, I recognized Blatty, the servant troll back at Kanira's castle.

“See these guys? Those are my fantrolls. They're the closest thing to an actual OC I can actually display, because some people like fantrolls. But if I were to create a story with completely unseen characters, surprise! No one to click on it. No one to bother reading it. It gets classified as 'original work' and they all look away.”

His chuckle turned into nervous laughter. Something in his slight grin was unsettling.

“They all...look away. How am I supposed to progress if I don't get any feedback?”

He passed a shivering hand through his hair, still with that scary smile. The laughter got louder, and really creepy.

“How am I supposed to make a name for myself if no one know who I am? How can I get any kind of recognition if they all ignore what I have to say?”

He stood up, and grabbed his tablet pen with a shaky hand.

“How...tell me...”

He was wielding it like a knife.

“ _Tell me how the fuck I can become an Author!_ ”

And without hesitation, he thrust the pen into the wall, right on a large drawing, tearing a hole in the paper.  
I felt the ground shake.

“Damn it. Broke it again.”

The stabbed drawing was a hand-drawn map representing a fantasy world. It was labeled as “Alternia – Dragonverse”; it was the world where I have landed in. That's when I saw there were already several holes in the same map, at various places where a drawing tool had been thrown or stabbed in. The geographical zones there were blacked out, as if erased slowly. When the Maker retrieved his pen, the Lolcat mountains where he had struck started to crumble and shatter, before being covered in traces of erasure.  
That's when I understood. With each fit or rage, the Maker was destroying this world. One of his own creations.  
He tried to get a hold of himself as he put the pen behind his ears, and smiled like a buisnessman, hands joined together as he glared at me.

“So. You're the only copy of Angel!Karkat that I have, so I can't get rid of you right now. I'll simply modify your character to make sure you won't break the fourth wall again.”

This guy was not to be trusted under any circumstances. His little smile was hiding something terrible, which was chilling me to the very core. He was a threat, able to destroy entire words from the nib of his pen. But I wouldn't give him the chance to do so.

“What if I do nonetheless?”, I asked out of defiance.

“Then I guess I'll scrap you and find someone else to be the main character in my last fanfiction.”, he bluntly said.

The truth was, I knew he didn't care about me at all. To him, I was nothing more but a series of notes and a rough sketch of my silhouette. I had no value as a person, no existence beyond where my story started and ended. I was made to serve the purpose of his writing, and to feed the originals with my experiences and development.  
This guy could kill me even beyond death.

“Maybe John will do the part. Yeah, I'd like to see him team up with dragons...”

He started walking across the room, looking into his folders, trying to sketch figures in mid-air. But from thoughtful, he suddenly switched to angry again.

“Fuck...does that mean I have to write it all over again? Motherfucking son of…I can't do that now! April 13th is in two days and I still haven't finished writing! What am I gonna do? I need to publish it on Wednesday!”

He sighed loudly, his hands grabbing his hair.

“I'm so worthless...why did I think this would be a good idea? I can't do it… I won't be able to respect my own deadlines! I had months to prepare it and still I can't get it right! How am I gonna explain Kanira's sudden change in character? How can I tell the reasons of why Karkat was captured? I wanted to do a great plot with how the dragon world is disappearing due to some weird events, and improve Kanira's character...I just can't!”

He let himself slide down the wall he was leaning on, and buried his face in his knees. That's when I heard his muffled sobs.

“I'm worthless… I won't make it… Why did I think this would be a good idea?”

What was he trying to do? Did he wanted to guilt-trip me? Well that wouldn't work. I had nothing to do with this guy. He wouldn't trick me with crocodile tears.  
Between two sobs, he turned to me, annoyed by my presence.

“You could at least do something to help me out. I'm in emotional distress right now.”

He took a pen from his pocket, grabbed a nearby notebook, and started to write.

“Wait wha-”

 _I maybe knew how dangerous he was, but right now, the all-powerful Maker was nothing more but a sad, helpless little boy. I felt something within my dead heart, something that reminded me of how terrifying it could be. Rejected, alone, misunderstood. I have been the same._  
_He was all alone in this room, creating and destroying at every second, and the weight of several worlds rested on his feeble shoulders. He was all alone in his task, because no one could share his mind or all the many adventures he had to tell. I understood all of that._  
_I set my mistrust aside, only for a moment, as I came to his level, and took him in my arms. He was made of some incorporeal matter, but so was I; I tried not to take notice of it as I wrapped my wings around him, in this comforting manner that humans loved so much. He seemed to be calmer already, my feathers gently covering him as he was writing on his notebook what seemed to be-_

“Hey, wait a second!”

I jerked back from him.

“What...what did you just do? What happened to me?”

The Maker sighed, and clicked his pen shut.

“See. This is why you can't break the fourth wall. If you do, I can't control you anymore!”

“But why? Why would you even want to control me?”

“Don't ask stupid questions. You're a character. You're not real. Every step you take, every word you say, is my bidding.”

He stood up, his somewhat menacing glare back on his face.

“You have been made to follow orders. Even when you break free and try to escape my will, I am controlling you with every word I write, every key I press. Don't you get it? Every single word, thought, cry and breath you have is _all because of me_.”

“What if I want to escape? What if I get out of your control!?”

“Don't be silly, sweet cheeks. If you get out of my control, you die. That's it. You're disposable of. I could totally stop writing this damn fanfiction, but hey, I'm doing it as we're talking, so there's no way out. We are already at the 16,000 word milestone, so I'm not giving up yet. Get it?”

He clicked his pen again, and before I could even open my mouth, my own future got narrated right-  
_I understood this was all part of my purpose. Without anyone to control me, how could I tell my story? As willing as I was, I couldn't do anything by myself. I wasn't a person: I only consisted in words on a screen, pictures in the reader's imagination, and the occasional drawing posted on Deviantart. I wasn't someone real, and had no mind of my own. Without someone to guide me, I'd be like a puppet with no strings.  
I understood this was all part of the contract. The Maker could control me at will, even when I thought I was free, in some kind of Orwellian permanent plot twist. But in return, I could tell my story, tell everything I had to say. Was it that much of a bad deal, after all?_

“Yes!”, I shouted as I broke free once again. “This is a horrible idea!”

The Maker sighed, this time even more annoyed.

“Karkat. Think about what you brother would say. I'm giving you a chance to see him again, after all.”

“Your trick won't work. I know you won't do it!”

“Wanna bet?”

He snapped his fingers, and two ghosts came into the room from the side door. They were carrying my brother.

“Kankri!”, I cried as I ran to him.

He was unconscious, but still breathing. I took him in my arms, shooing the guards away.

“What did you do to him? Why is he...why'd you do this?”

“Oh, come on. I got your brother back, and that's how you thank me? Although, I shouldn't be surprised.”

He grinned.

“I'm choosing every single one of your reactions way before you even understand what's going on.”

In my arms, Kankri fluttered his eyes open.

“K...Kar?”

“I'm here, bro.”

“What is going on? Where...”

He suddenly snapped, as if he remembered something important.

“Karkat! Our world! The..the dragon guy, he...the inspiration...”

“Wait. Stay calm, first.”

“The...he tried...and dad is there...”

“Kankri...can't you just speak clearly?”

He seemed to be choking on his words so much that they couldn't escape his throat. Behind me, the Maker groaned, and clicked his pen again.  
_Kankri slowly stood up, catching his breath. I could tell he had seen something so strong, it had blown his mind off. He breathed in, then spoke, calmly this time._

_“Kanira. He's trying to take over the human dimension. There is...something happening to the dragon Alternia, something that's making it disappear slowly. He wants our world, Karkat.”_

_He took me by the shoulders, genuinely worried. His fingers were shaking._

_“He wants to control humans and their powers. He wants the angels too, and maybe even the trolls. He'll control them all and ~~turn them into his slaves~~ let the dragons roam free in our world.”_

Wait. Why was that last sentence…?

“Karkat.”, the Maker grunted. “Stop breaking that fucking fourth wall and help your brother out.”

“I'm not trying to-”

Click.  
_I turned to my brother, more worried than ever, even somewhat scared. If what he was saying was true, then there was nothing I wouldn't do to save my world._

_“Lead me to him. Maybe I can talk him out of it.”_

_“You don't understand, Kat. He knows about the Inspiration. Angel powers only work on those who are unaware of them.”_

“Wait… How could you know that? I thought...”

From the corner of my eye, I saw the Maker grumble and scribble something on a page in one of the folders. Then all of a sudden, a thought flashed in my mind, as of something I suddenly remembered.  
_Angel powers only works on those who are unaware of them._

“Yeah...I guess that's right.”

I tried to think about all this new data.

“What could we do?”, Kankri asked.

“The portal.”, I said after some reflexion. “He can't get to our world without the portal. If we manage to go there before him, we can have a chance.”

“Dude. He'll have his army of dragons, and all we have is nothing. If I had a weapon I could at least defend myself, but where do you expect me to find a gun here? How can I-”

He stopped. I suddenly heard the Maker strut again, looking at his drawings and nervously talking to his guards. Kankri wasn't saying anything, as if he was still controlled, but I understood he wasn't anymore. He was like...paused. Waiting for his next word. Not moving anymore.  
But for some reason, I still could.

“This is bad.”, the Maker mumbled. “How can they get out of this situation? What help can they receive? And how will they end? I haven't planned this out...”

I tried to move my fingers. I could. Even though Kankri was suspended mid-sentence like a still from a movie, I could still move and think.  
But how come? If all I did was the Maker's will, then how come I could still act on my own?  
Or maybe I still couldn't.  
Shrugging, I approached the busy Maker.

“Alright. What do you need?”, I asked, only half-annoyed.

“Help with this situation.”, he answered naturally, as if it was something obvious. “What would _you_ do in this case?”

“I don't know...aren't you supposed to know?”

“I only tell the adventures of my characters. But sometimes, I like asking _them_ for advice.”

Considering that would only result in him talking to himself like a ventriloquist to his marionette (which was a funny thought), I tried not to think too hard about it. All of my thoughts and ideas were dictated by this guy. Even if I did have an idea, it would be his' to decide. He was writing in a way where I would _think_ I had an idea, while in fact it would only be a reflection of his own mind giving me the illusion of free thought. This was the most narcissistic thing anyone could ever come up with.

“Dunno...”, I muttered. “What would you do?”

“I don't know. I'm not sure about using a good old deus ex machina. I want this fanfiction to have a logical conclusion.”

He looked through his many notes, files, folders and post-its, as if trying to find something.

“I'm sure of something: I can't write fight scenes for shit. So none of that. And I suck at character development, so forget any chance of Kanira changing his mind about invading human world.”

I got closer to him.

“You know...”, I hesitated. “Maybe the reason why you can't progress is because you keep repeating how much you suck at this or that.”

He stopped, and looked at me with weird eyes.

“Who are you to judge?”

The question startled me.

“I...I just thought...”

“Well you'd better stop thinking. You're just a character, you don't have any say in the matter.”

Well, alright then. Just trying to help. If he wanted to be a bitch, I would leave him to his sulking. Not like if I wanted to-  
Click.

_”I insist that I help you. My world is at stake, and if it depends on your wording, then I will help you find a solution.”_

“That's very nice of you to offer.”

Damn it. He'd really use that trick all the time. Jerkface.

“I heard that.”

Fuck this guy.

“So, think you can unfreeze my brother now?”, I asked casually.

“He's not frozen. He'll stay this way until I fill in the plotholes.”

“That's creepy.”, I pouted.

“Is not.”

“Is too.”

“Is not.”

“Stop it.”

“Is not.”

I sighed out loud and sat on the Maker's desk, pushing some papers aside. Curious, I picked up a sheet and read it.

“Who is 'Kanzer'?”, I asked, picking the name from a synopsis.

“A character from another fiction. This one I'm gonna publish as an actual book.”

“Can't blame you for not trying. Good luck.”, I cheered.

“Heh.”

I looked through another folder, this one full of concept art sketches.

“You know...”, the Maker said. “It's actually nice, chatting with characters. I should do that more often.”

“Do you realize you're basically-”

“Talking to myself, I know. And that's no fun if I keep predicting everything you're saying.”

He suddenly turned to me.

“Your next line will be, 'But why do you keep all your characters in prison?'”

“But why do you keep all your...hey!”

The Maker grinned like some kind of cliché anime character. What the fuck had just happened?

“Sorry. Always wanted to pull that one. But let's get serious for a moment. This ain't no Jojo fanfiction.”

He slammed some papers on his desk, writing over pre-made notes.

“I think I have something good enough. If you do as I say, this fanfiction will end. Your world might be saved, and your brother too.”

“Tell me everything.”

He closed the folders, and looked at me for a moment, then at the slowly self-erasing map of Alternia.

“It will be a little difficult to find a suitable ending. Kanira might be an even more powerful opponent than I'd thought.”

“Can't you simply bring him here and rewrite his character?”

“Karkat, darling. Do you really think I'd throw all this damn buildup by the window? I have already meddled too much with the fourth wall. Now is time to end this story seriously.”

“What do you plan to do?”

He seemed thoughtful for a moment.

“I have a plan. But be aware, it will be somewhat risky and illogical. I can't risk my readers getting angry at me. That's why I will need to play a one-time use joker.”

He showed me a sealed scroll, retrieved from a drawer.

“This thing right here is a contract between reader and writer. A legendary weapon called Suspension of Disbelief.”

“What's its power?”

“Kinda hard to explain, but basically, it will give me the ability to temporally do whatever I please with my story as long as it is believable enough, without readers saying it is illogical.”

He put it in my pocket.

“This story is set in a magical world where fairies, trolls and vampires have existed. It will give me some freedom. Use it when necessary, and I will do the rest. But I have other weapons as well.”

From a drawer, he fetched what seemed to be a silvery, polished gun of small caliber. I started to flip out.

“Who are you going to kill?”

“If I wanted to kill someone, I'd write them off. I have all the power I need within this fiction. This little beauty is my Chekhov's gun. Once again, one-time use.”

“And...is it dangerous?”

“Not really. But let's just say it'll be useful later. It brings things from the past.”

He chuckled, before muttering to himself.

“That's actually something I'm good at.”

He clapped his hands twice, and turned at the half-dozen-or-so guards he had just summoned.

“Alright, dearies. This is a serious matter we have on our hands. We have to finish this damn fanfiction before Wednesday. Counting in the seven-hour bonus I get from timezone difference, this leaves us about not much time to finish. Blast some good background music and get me some milk. Tonight, we end this bitch.”

He took his pen, clicked it a couple times, but hesitated for a moment when time came to write.

“I must send you back to your world, but I can't actually show you the way. Too risky.”

He looked at me, then at Kankri, then at his ghost copies.

“Look.”, he said after a second. “I hold no grudge against you, pal, but you can't get outta here while being aware of your surroundings.”

He drew a sharp blade out of a drawer. A sickle.

“The good old Rubysickle from [Children of Doom](http://archiveofourown.org/works/792811). This is gonna sting a little.”

Before I could even react, he stabbed me right in the chest.  
As I was fainting, I heard his pen click.

\---

The portal was inactive, but it would only be a matter of time before the sorcerers could open a pathway large enough. The moons were high up in the sky, their bichromatic light casting strange shadows on the silver statues.  
As the magicians were working to open a breach, I let my hand rest on Safire's metal leg, looking up at him with respect. I have always known there was something about this memorial, something magical and cryptic. And I was right, as always.

“Safire...”, I whispered into the wind. “Please help me. Help me save my world and my subjects. This is all I ask of you.”

The wind whistled around me, but I didn't understand its message. Maybe because I was a Wave Swirler, dweller of the sea, I hadn't the privileged connection my Sky Rider ancestors have shared with the wind. But I didn't lose hope, and kept my head low, trying to decipher the foreign language of the wind.

“I know what I'm doing isn't the best option. But it is the only one I have. All these trolls, all these dragons… Great Safire, they count on me to help them. Their lives are at stake, and I can't sacrifice them.”

Nothing but wind, stronger around the empty plains. I sighed, and gave up trying to understand it.

“Thank you anyway.”

I glanced over at the small group of troll sorcerers, who seemed very busy trying to cast some sparkles from the statue's marble stand.

“How is it going?”, I asked.

“Your highness, we have yet to canalize the magic from the other side. This is going to take some time.”

I had a look at the sky, which was darkening by every minute. Being in a high spot of the Lotaf plains, I could see some far away places being consumed by the darkness of destruction, which had grown considerably.

“How much time?”

“We don't know yet, your majesty...it could take minutes, hours, or even days!”

“What do you mean, 'days'? I don't have days to wait! This land doesn't have any more time!”

“Please under-”

“The only think I understand is your uselessness! You'd better hurry up, or else there won't be anything left to save from this world!”

They were shivering from both cold and fear as I grabbed one of them by the collar and gave her a good scare.

“W…we will fix this! Do not worry, your highness, the portal will be open very soon!”

“It better be.”

I let go of the witch's neck, and looked around nervously. I hoped my coursiers had the time to warn everyone. I hoped people had gotten enough time to escape from the endangered zones.  
I thought about Fefire. She was my Queen, and I would do anything for her. I remembered all the adventures we have lived together sweeps ago, as I was still a dragon peasant living in a segregationist Alternia. Soon enough we have become partners, and in no time I had been made prince of Alternia.  
I had to learn so much. The court etiquette, the diplomacy rules, the hierarchy of Alternia. I had to change my way to speak, to present myself. As exciting as I have thought it'd be, being part of the royal family was actually a hassle. I couldn't do what I wanted anymore. There were times when I couldn't even see the few family I had left. Even Roryde, who used to by my best friend, couldn't see me anymore without a proper appointment. There were days when I missed the feeling of sea water, or the taste of freshly caught fish. The long runs on the beach at sunset, the exhausting and adrenaline-filling fights against creatures of deeper waters, I missed all of these. I was often thinking about giving up my crown and become a child of the wild again.  
But this wasn't a one-sided bargain. There was something which I truly loved among the duties of a prince. I had become someone suited to help people, someone they could turn to. I was both an authority figure and a caring ruler, whom people could trust. I could see trolls from every social background as I traveled across Alternia, and getting the chance to talk to both peasants and nobles, and understand them all the same. In return, I was someone very appreciated, but someone with the heavy burden of people's expectations to carry. This was the ultimate double-edged sword of being a prince.  
I silently prayed for everyone to be safe.

“There! We got it!”

The wizards were gathered around the Suffirer side of the marble slab, which was glowing in the bicolor light of the moons. I came closer to the door to another world, and tried to touch it.

“Watch out, your majesty! We need to check if this is secure first!”

I drew my hand back, and one of the troll wizards threw a small stone into the portal.  
From the other side, a small sound got heard.

“Ferren. You get in.”, one of the sorcerers said.

“Alright, alright.”

The grass-blood troll thrust a scared hand into the glow, retracted it half a second later, then put it his whole arm.

“It feels warm. I feel...wind.”

Slowly, he entered in, hand held by his comrades.

“Can you hear me?”, a witch asked.

“I do, but it is quite muffled.”, the tester's voice replied, before he came back to Alternia. “Your majesty...you need to see this.”

I blinked, looking at the portal with worry. I decided to trust my instinct, and stepped into the light.  
The first thing I thought of is how _loud_ this world was.

“What...is this place?”, I asked.

As I stepped on the grass of the human world, followed by the wizards and my guards, I tried to make sense of what was going on around me. It was a sunny morning, and birds were singing. Some hornless trolls were walking around; humans.  
Metal ladybug-like contraptions were rolling on a stone path, followed by a loud rumbling similar to a Thunderwing's cry. Giant dragons were flying high in the sky, leaving a trail of white mist behind. Human houses were built on top of each other, towering towards the sky. Around us, young ones were playing strange games I didn't understand, running away from us as we progressed into this world.

“Is this...the human world?”, I asked. “It seems different from the old books.”

“The human world is known for its quick evolution, your highness.”

As I walked, I turned to a human adult.

“Excuse me, sir. May I inquire about your magic potential?”

As soon as the human saw me, their face twisted into fear, and they ran away before I could catch them.

“What is going on? Don't tell me humans from this worlds are also scared of dragons?”

“It might be they are rather scared of trolls, your highness.”

“Oh, if that's so! After all, we wouldn't want to compromise our diplomatic encounters.”

I breathed in the heavy air, and took my dragon form. Humans wouldn't be so scared of me now.  
But then I heard people screaming.

“What is going on?”, the sorcerers asked.

“I don't know...”

Alright, this was a bad start. Could it be that humans disliked both trolls _and_ dragons?  
But it didn't matter right now. I had a mission to fulfill. I took in a heavy breath despite the killing lack of air moisture, and shot a beam of frost breath at the sky.  
It exploded in a flash of lighting, followed by loud thunder. Everyone, trolls and humans alike, rose their heads to look at the sudden falling snow.  
I wasn't like any Wave Swirler, who gained their power from water. I was a _Lusae_ , a genetic anomaly, and my strength was coming from cold and ice. As the snow fell on my scales and the air got colder, I could feel my magic powers become even stronger. I could feel all the draconic power pulsing underneath my skin, as if my blood was replaced with liquid energy.  
With a jump, I climbed on the monolith which hosted this world's side of the portal, still under my draconic form, and roared from the top of my lungs. The stone was high enough for me to have a good sight of everyone in the vicinity, and to reach them with my predatorial dragon instinct.  
I was a prince, and princes knew how to get heard.

“People of Earth, listen to my call!”, I roared in human language, loud enough for everyone in a hundred meter radius to hear my voice. “My name is Kanira, prince of dragonkin, and I come to claim your dimension as our new kingdom!”

As I spoke out, other dragons emerged from the portal, taking their reptilian appearance and standing by my side, roaring loud and proud for every human to hear us.

“Submit to my rule, humans, and your lives will be spared; if you attempt even the slightest threat against us, there will be no mercy.”

I sounded like a dictator, but for now there was no choice; I needed to pass as a feared and cruel figure, or else humans might not accept the sudden incursion of my kind.  
After all, they had nothing to say in the matter.

\---

When I woke up, the sickle was in my hands.  
I was back in the plains, right next to the statue of the four dragons. Some yards further, Kankri was waking up with a growl of pain.

“What happened?”, he asked drowsily. “Where is Kanira?”

I stood up, and helped him out. That's when I saw the eerie glow coming from the statues.  
The portal had been opened.

“We're too late.”, Kankri gasped. “He's crossed through!”

“No.”, I said. “We still have a chance. Come on!”

I took his hand in mine, sickle in the other, and ran through the portal, faithful in the Maker's writing. I knew where we would end, way before we finally touched the grass of Altownia's park under our feet.  
Grass which was actually covered in snow.

“Hey...what is going on?”, Kankri asked, zipping up his jacket. “Why is there snow? We're not even past October!”

“That's some kind of dragon thing.”

I didn't know how I could know this, but maybe the Maker was playing with my narration once again to give me information.

“That means Kanira is close. We have to find-”

“Watch out!”

Kankri grabbed my sleeve and held me back, as a colorful shadow zoomed past us and up in the air. I didn't want to believe my eyes, but there was no mistaking: dragons were roaming in the middle of Altownia.

“Fuck.”, I muttered.

That's when I noticed the people around us screaming, running away, trying to hide from the reptilian menaces flying above the skyscrapers. Police sirens, cars honking, roars of dragons in the distances, and the occasional car crashing against a wall in panic; Kankri and I were drowning in an ocean of noise and chaos.

“I hope he knows what he's doing...”, I muttered.

I had a look at my sickle. This thing seemed pretty sharp, with a curved blade that would make it difficult to hit anything. However, when I tried to swing it around...I found myself quite skilled at it. As if it was something instinctive, the nature of how I couldn't explain.  
Even though there were other humans around, I took no care of it as I opened my wings.

“What are you doing?”, Kankri asked nervously.

I turned to him. As much as I wanted to find Kanira, I couldn't leave my brother alone in the middle of all this chaos. I tried to find words to tell him, but couldn't.

“Stay safe.”, was all I managed to mutter.

I tried to fly away, but I felt his hand holding me back.

“Don't go. Not you. Not again.”

I sighed, as I turned around to him.

“Kankri...”

“I know. You want me to be safe, because I don't have any powers or any kind of magic...I know all of that.”

He looked at me straight in the eyes. I have never realized how grown he seemed until now.

“I know I have no powers whatsoever. I know I am useless on my own. I know all of that.”

Slowly, his sad face turned into a slight grin.

“But I have something they lack. I have knowledge.”

He turned to the portal, which was still open to the dragon Alternia.

“I know there is a way to configure these things. If used correctly, then every single layer of the multiverse can be accessed.”

He stroked a side of the monolith with his hand, passing his fingers over the runes, like a blind person reading braille. It seemed to work; as Kankri worked slowly on it, some runes started to light up in a faint blue glow.

“Karkat?”

A familiar voice has suddenly come from behind me. I turned around, and saw John. My one and only angel friend.  
My heart suddenly got warmer to a point I couldn't explain why.

“Karkat, mon ami, what is going on? You disappear for hours and when I go out looking for you, there are monsters everywhere! Peux-tu m'expliquer ce qui se passe, enfin?”

I took him in my arms, too emotionally overwhelmed to answer. I had missed him way too much to pay any attention to what was happening around.

“Karkat?”, he wondered, quite surprised.

“I'll explain...but please, be quiet for a moment. Tu m'as tellement manqué, mon ange. I have lived such an adventure… Oh, mais que tu m'as manqué...”

He smiled with his adorable bucktoothed grin, his blue owl wings wrapped around me.

“John. Listen. Our world is in danger. A dragon overlord from some other dimension is trying to take over it.”

I would have suspected disbelief from him, but he nodded after a second of taking-it-all-in-ness.

“What can we do?”, he asked.

“Gather our angel friends. Every power is welcome. We're dealing with a powerful enemy here.”

“I still have some contacts at Feathers Inc. They'd help.”

“Kankri and I will join you soon.”

He nodded again, then hugged me tightly.

“Fais attention à toi.”

I smiled.

“Take care, too.”

In a flap of his blue wings, he was gone. I turned to Kankri, who was still messing with the portal as it the stone was a broken car engine.  
I saw he wasn't alone.

“Now, if that's not the angel everyone is talking about!”, the troll said.

He couldn't be older than eighteen, and his symbol was a little cat face. He had a mask of blue fabric around his eyes, but he took it off to reveal rust-colored eyes.

“The name's Roryde Lalone, Royal Hunter. So, I heard you had troubles with the dragons, huh?”

“Er...yeah, but...where did you get from?”

“Truth is, mate, I don't know at all. Something led me here.”

I preferred not to ask what, both because I already had an idea and because I hadn't time to deal with that.

“Do you know Kanira?”, I asked the troll. “Any clue about his megalovaniac tendencies?”

“Well, I sure can say he has changed a lot since he became the prince and all. But since our world is threatened...”

I turned to him.

“What do you mean, 'threatened'? Is it actually getting destroyed?”

“Yeah. Big piles of darkness here and there, all over Alternia. Destroys everything it touches. As if...it's erasing our world. And Kanira flips out because all the people back there are in danger.”

That made sense… I understood that, if we wanted Kanira to stop his freezing delusion, we'd have to quell whatever menace was tearing up the dragon world. But how could we do so? Only the Maker could repair the hole he'd had torn in his world map.

“Hey, Karkat.”, Kankri's voice called. “I have found us some company.”

I don't know what Kankri had done; but somehow, the light cast by the portal was of a different nature. It was leading to another world, or rather _from_ another world; people were coming out of the stone, and looking at the glooming destruction around us with determined eyes.  
Among the crowd, I recognized Misane. She smiled at me, this time without any need for a mask. I smiled back.  
Soon enough, there was about a dozen people of various origins and aspects, brought together in front of the portal. In a powerful gust of wind, I felt a small number of angels land in the snow, led by John. Including Kankri, Roryde and I, our team comprised about twenty people. That wasn't much; but I knew the originals brought by the portal had countless years of experience behind them.  
We could do this. Breathing in, I let the inspiration flow through my whole body, easing my tense muscles and relieving me from a lot of stress.

“Alright, everyone. We need to fix the dragon world, while stopping Kanira from turning this world into a giant freezer. I know this is something you should not be usually doing, but the Maker is on our side.”

I produced the Suspension of Disbelief from my pocket. Everyone seemed shocked to see a meta-reference inside this fanfiction, given a somewhat metaphorical aspect.

“From the moment I use it, we will have enough power to do whatever we please. That means you can enter the different worlds and act as needed, as long as you stay coherent. Do you get it?”

They gave their understanding, and I went on to explain the plan.

“We need to find Kanira, who's gone somewhere in the human world. But the most important problem we must deal with is the disappearance of the dragon world. Who has ever broke the fourth wall here?”

Some shy hands got raised, and people stepped forward.

“You will come with me into the dragon world. We must fight back the void, or else the dragon realm will be lost forever!”

I took the scroll in my hands, and looked at it. It was some kind of very old parchment, sealed with a red ribbon and a wax seal. I remembered the Maker saying it was a one-time use weapon, so that left pretty few choice as of what was needed to be done.  
Breathing in, I broke the seal, and read the scroll, trying to hold it from the wind. Before I had even laid eyes on the first word, a voice broke from the group.

“What is happening?”

The original characters got surrounded in a halo of golden light, and even though I wasn't touching them, I knew they were getting more and more corporeal with each second. Their powers activated, their experiences and evolutions got more developed. And when the light faded away, I knew something powerful had just happened.  
Originals were now allowed to interact with this world.

“Now come on!”, I shouted out, inspiring them at my best.

They didn't need anything more. In a concert of feathers and power beams, most angels and originals flew away, spreading in different directions, determined to find the one behind this maddened winter storm. Kankri ran his hands again on the runs, and this time the portal opened onto Alternia.

“Come on, everyone!” I said as I ran straight in, followed by the fourth wall-breakers.

I was now sure of it: there was still a chance.

\---

The map was drawn out in front of me, the patches of growing darkness in plain sight. I have tried to erase them away, to draw over them, but nothing could repair the damage. The paper holding this world was too damaged, and I didn't have the willpower to draw another map from scratch.  
I sighed as I sat down, looking at my screen. An alert showed me that one of my meta-weapons had just been used. Clicking on it, I saw the Angel!Karkat with the opened Suspension of Disbelief in hand.  
Well, no use crying over spilled milk. If he wanted to do so and use my weapons, he could; that wouldn't change anything at all.  
Still...this whole adventure had some pretty interesting possibilities of development. Once this was over, I could surely extract the memories of all these masks and recycle them into new originals. Even if I would never have the chance to tell their stories to anyone, I wouldn't ever miss an occasion to hear them again and again. My characters, my creations, were all part of me in some way.  
And if that little angel had enough determination and hope to fight a lost cause and save a doomed world…  
...then maybe I could learn something from his experiences, too.  
I sighed as I clicked my pen. This fanfiction still needed an end, and unless I reached an even deeper level of meta, it wouldn't be written by itself.

\---

Roryde touched the darkness blob with a long stick; when he drew it back, a whole chunk of the wood had disappeared, as if genuinely erased out of existence.

“How will we fight this thing?”, Jennifer asked. “I tried, our attacks won't work.”

“Then maybe we should try to find a way around it. Have we tried containing it?”

“Won't work.”, I said. “This darkness is a meta-weapon. It erases everything from existence, even air or water.”

“There has to be a way!”, Kanzer protested, trying to slice the void, which resulted in his blades disappearing. “How can we defend ourselves against this?”

“I don't know, but- get back, everyone!”

The darkness suddenly grew what seemed to be tentacles, and crept even closer to us. We all jerked back several meters as we tried not to get touched by this shapeless creature.  
It was made of an unknown matter; but it was so dark and reflected so little light, that it would have looked like a hole photoshopped out of the grass.

“I'm really scared, now.”, Roryde exclaimed. “How are we supposed to beat this thing?”

Next to me, Kankri did his best not to appear scared, but I knew deep inside that he was. I could already guess what he was thinking: if all of our attacks so far have failed, then how could he, the powerless one, do anything? Apart from being scared, what was his purpose? I could feel the questions that plagues his mind as I hold his hand, looking for protection in the embrace of my older brother.

“This has been one hell of a ride.”, he said. “From the very beginning.”

“Yeah...”, I answered.

Around us, I could see the various originals trying to push away the ever-growing darkness by any means. The most powerful combined attacks a team of foreign originals could make were all used on the boiling, shaking mass of forgetfulness that crept its shadows over a pure world.  
As I tried to conjure whatever physical powers were granted by angelhood, my thoughts drifted to the Maker. Why couldn't he do something, if this world was entirely his'? Even within the boundaries of fiction, he was the only master. He could decide whether this monster of void could kill us or not, even though we all were his characters. All he'd have to do would be to write something along the lines of 'suddenly the darkness disappeared' and it would all be over! Then why wasn't he doing it?  
I almost collapsed, exhausted after trying to push away the darkness for who knows how long. I was tired, tired of all of this. Was the Maker really trying to kill us? Why did he give out such speeches about omnipotence if it was to deny help to his own creations?

“I don't get it...”, I mumbled. “He should...he should be able to stop this!”

Next to me, Kankri was trying to away from the void without disturbing the originals, who were as tired as I was. He looked at me.

“The Maker...we're in a fiction, and everything is at his bidding...so why can't he stop this?”

One of the dark tentacles thrust forward, and I had to duck not to get vaporized.

“If everything is under his control, then why is he willingly destroying this world? What is he trying to prove!?”

I jumped aside, pulling Kankri along to avoid him a certain death.

“I don't understand...”

I let myself fall to my knees, empty of any energy I had left. I couldn't be strong enough to defeat the menace looming over us, threatening to swallow us whole…  
Kankri held me by the shoulders.

“Karkat.”

I looked at him. He seemed both worried and suddenly illuminated, as if he had just understood something bad.

“He _chose_ not to act. This is deliberate.”

I tried to get back up on my legs.

“Wh...what do you mean?”

Kankri showed me the mass of darkness that had trapped several of the originals already.

“We're in a fiction. He could erase this thing if he wanted. But he chose not to.”

“Why would he do such a thing?”

My brother looked uneasy all of a sudden.

“I feel like...this has to do with omnipotence. Like...you know that paradox where a god is asked to create a rock so heavy that even himself can't lift it? That's the same here.”

The darkness swished its tentacles around as it swallowed a whole part of the nearby forest.

“If he does create the rock, then he can't lift it, and that means he isn't strong enough. However if he can't create a heavy enough rock, he still isn't powerful enough.”

“What do you mean?”

“The point is...as omnipotent as the Maker is, he has to have boundaries. That's why he willingly chose to limit his power. That's why he's not doing anything. He simply chose not to create the rock in the first place; this is the only way he can be potent enough, as he chose himself where his power ends.”

I understood the message. Even though the Maker could undo all the damage in a simple click of his pen, he was putting down his own limits. He would not end this carnage himself, even if he had the power to. Because if he did, there would be no more room for the power of…

“...the characters.”

I blinked, trying to fit the pieces together. I was close to the solution...that was it! Then, as suddenly as a shot from a silvery gun, it all clicked.

“I know! I know how to defeat that thing!”, I called out, grabbing my sickle.

This void was maybe scary, because it could kill me in no time. Erase me from existence. But it would never do that. Because if he did…

_'I'm not giving up yet.'_

...there would be no one to finish what he had started.

_'I can't scrap you now.'_

I ran toward the black void.

_'You're the main character.'_

I jumped straight int

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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_I couldn't feel anything, deep inside this ocean of darkness. It was as if my whole body had been drained of every sensation I had, every little thing that would tell whether I was dead or alive. I couldn't tell if I was hot or cold, if I was floating or sitting somewhere, if I could hear sounds or not. There was nothing, even not the sound of my own heartbeat to tell me I was still alive._  
_But somehow, a thin stream of consciousness was emanating from my brain. A very tiny, weak signal that showed I had a minimum thinking process going on. I held onto this thought like a lifeboat, pulling onto the string of mental waves as if it was my only hope to ever live again._  
_My senses were dull, my mind was blank, but somehow, I still existed. As if I refused to let myself die. Was this some kind of post-mortem stubbornness? Some kind of death consolation lot, played by fate's sick and twisted humor, or some desperate attempt at perseverance that had me still going? I didn't know anymore._  
_I wondered whether I still existed. Maybe I had died, alone and forgotten from all… Or maybe I had disappeared entirely, scrapped by an uncaring Maker? I couldn't tell._  
_I thought about the Maker. He had said something about how my only existence in this realm was determined by words on a screen. If that was true...then words had a greater power than what I'd have expected._  
_At the moment, readers would believe I was dead, or floating between conscious planes. They had represented me in their mind since the beginning of this long-ass ride. I can't blame them; that's how it goes. The renowned Suspension of Disbelief was still active, after all. Forgetting it was all fiction, they were accepting me as someone rather than something, for a short time._  
_They were probably thinking I was actually dying, my soul broken beyond repair, or dead for good...but that's because they were seeing me as a person living in this world of fiction. Some will care about me and comment how sad they are to see me die; some will shrug it off with the old cry of 'he's the main character, he's gonna survive anyway'. Some won't care at all, and just keep on reading. I can't blame them._  
_But while they see me as an imaginary person, the truth is, I am not. I have never existed in any fantasy realm of sorts. All I am is words. Words on a screen, black over white series of letters, or white over black for dark theme users. When no one reads this fanfiction, I still exist as data saved onto a website. This is all I am: series of numbers stored on AO3's servers, translated into letters, translated themselves into words. This is all I have ever been. But this isn't what I will ever be._  
_As readers read those very lines, they're giving me a voice. I don't know how I sound like in their heads; like an angsty teen, like a grumpy kid, like a cliché bishounen? This was all up to the reader. They were also giving me a face, an appearance. I wonder how they were seeing me. Was I tall, short? Did I have red hair, or black, or even blond? What color were my eyes? What was I wearing? What did my wings look like? The words didn't tell anything of that, at least nothing beyond basic explanatory details. But everyone was free to see me the way they wanted, and that was the whole point._  
_I am nothing but words. I understood that long ago. But to the readers, I am my own person. I am someone fictional, unreal; but I am a person. I live in their minds, their imagination. From words on a screen, they create me. They give me life._  
_If they accept me as a person rather than words, then their imagination would do the rest. I would never die, for I would exist in the minds of everyone who'd read about me. I would exist in hundreds, thousands of different minds, and live my adventures again and again, each and every time those words are read. Even if I exist as words, forever engraved into numeric data, into pixels on a screen, I could only become real if the reader wanted me to. And for that, they would have my eternal gratitude. Because from the words of the sentences they are currently reading, they will give me life once more. They will help me save this world._  
I called upon my last weapon.

\---

I never remembered what had happened. But to be honest, it is something I would gladly leave up to the reader's imagination. The words on the screen are only a canvas with pencil markings, on which the reader is free to paint with their own colors and design. Some might say this is a lazy conclusion, but would they have been contented with a logical explanation filled with gaps and plotholes? The best solution to me would be to leave this story somewhat open-ended.  
The darkness from the dragon world had disappeared, as if cleaned away. There were still many parts of Alternia that were missing, but they were recreated slowly, rebuilt over time by an invisible hand.  
I haven't seen the originals lately. I think they all came back to their respective worlds. Maybe someday, the Maker will understand that his potential isn't measured in likes and reblogs, but in how much he is willing to give into his work. Strangely enough, I hadn't been victim of his modifications since...whatever happened. Maybe he had stopped them altogether, or maybe I wasn't aware of them anymore. Knowing him, it would rather be the latter option.  
The human world has been restored to normal. Nobody seemed to remember what had happened. In a way, it was for the best. I only hoped that Kanira was safe and happy. Even if he was a mask I had already met under other circumstances, I liked him for who he was.  
Kankri did remember some of what we have lived. At least it proved me I hadn't gone crazy. He had seemed pretty happy in the end, even though he didn't gain any powers. But there was no need for that; at least, if our family was to keep running on, it would finally be free of the supernatural burden it had borne for generations.  
John and I were still happy together, watching the seasons come and go, the wind plucking leaves off the library's oak tree. Until one day, where something told us it was finally time to move on. Even after being reborn as an angel, I had lived so many new adventures; but now was time to finally put down the flame my family passed down for so long.  
The afterlife was calling us, and the premises of a peaceful life away from earthly considerations was something I had awaited for a long time. I simply couldn't say no.  
Before going, however, I had a last thought for my Maker. I have known him enough to realize he still had many new stories to tell, and many characters to introduce to the world. And this was the same for all the other Makers out there, who struggle for popularity, who simply need to realize the value of their work. I would love to tell them how worthy they are, and how glad they should be, for they keep creating the amazing pieces of work that, together, form the marvelous wonder that is fanwork.  
I have followed John into the afterlife. But what did that consist in, exactly? Well, to be honest, it would be hard for me to describe. I prefer leaving it to the reader's imagination too. Afterall, they make up most of the story themselves. They don't need much description or boring exposition from me; simply because, as helpful and realistic as I'd like to be…  
...I still am nothing but words.

**Author's Note:**

> The Knight of Fire Breath series has started exactly three years ago. The Tales of Earth and Alternia series has begun in October 2012. And now we've come a long way, the journey will need to end.  
> I would like to thank you all for taking the time to read this. Without support from my friend and followers, I wouldn't have done it. Thank you so much for putting up with the crap I write.  
> If it's the first time you ever hear of me, or if you just wanted to read something and happened to find this fic, then I welcome you. Don't hesitate to check out some of my other works, or leave some kudos if you liked this one.  
> This has been a fun ride. And now, with this sentence I'm currently writing, the journey ends.


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